Cristiano Ronaldo slams Messi over GOAT debate, 'He doesn't look like this'

Former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has shared an interesting story about current Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, and some comments the latter made about Lionel Messi during his time at the Premier League.

Ronaldo reached superstar status while playing for Manchester United between 2003-2009. He later established himself as a true football legend with Real Madrid, but the rivalry between him and Lionel Messi has been ongoing throughout most of his career.

According to Crouch, Ronaldo has a very interesting take on their rivalry. The former England international revealed how Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate, Rio Ferdinand, told the hilarious story.

"Rio Ferdinand would tell us stories about how Cristiano Ronaldo would stand in front of the mirror naked, running his hand through his hair and saying 'Wow, I'm so beautiful!'," Crouch said, as quoted by Marca.

His former teammates would not simply accept his comments, and some of them would try to tease him by bringing up the prolific Argentine. "Whatever, Messi is a better player than you," they said.

In response, the Portuguese national football team captain would "shrug his shoulders and smile again, saying 'Ah yes, but Messi does not look like this'."

The story has been going around for a while, but fans never grow tired of hearing about the hilarious anecdote. In interviews, Ronaldo has always been nothing but respectful of Messi, and the pair had been seen interacting amicably numerous times.

They even engaged in some playful banter during the numerous Ballon d'Or ceremonies which they both attended. Between them, they have won the trophy a total of 11 times, with Messi just one Ballon d'Or trophy ahead of the Juventus forward.

Both players continue to break numerous records every year, and the debate will no doubt continue even long after they both retire. In Ronaldo's opinion however, what you see on the mirror scores him some points on top of what he scores on the pitch.