MADRID — Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he was “better than Messi” in an interview with American news channel CNN Friday, before appearing to retract his claim.

“You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche because they have different engines,” tempered Ronaldo, 27, after initially insisting he was superior to the man who has won the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player in each of the last three years. “He does his very best for Barcelona and I do my best for Real Madrid.”

Few would doubt that the two men are the stand-out players in world football today, with Ronaldo scoring 46 goals as Real Madrid won La Liga, while Messi broke the Spanish league record by notching a remarkable 50 goals for Barca.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was in little doubt about which of the two clubs had enjoyed a better campaign.

“The table speaks for itself — nine points separate Real Madrid from Barcelona and that is huge in Spain,” he said. “We have played better than Barca this season, of that I am convinced. We are better than them at the moment, but we must still respect them because they are a great team.” — AFP