Usain Bolt believes the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has succeeded in a number of leagues, means he stands above Lionel Messi.
The eight-time Olympic gold medal winner is a big football fan and actually attempted to forge his own career in the game after hanging up his spikes.
Although that never came to pass, he retains a huge interest in the sport and was recently asked which footballer he admires most.
He quickly narrowed it down to Messi and Ronaldo, who are often in the running to be recognised as the greatest player of all time.
But combined with his allegiance to Manchester United, Bolt thinks Ronaldo’s stints in three different countries mean he wins out against his old rival.
“For me it is a difficult question because I am a fan of Argentina, but I am also a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I think Cristiano has something else that Messi doesn't have because he showed his value in Italy, Spain and also in the Premier League. In that case, my answer is Cristiano Ronaldo.”
The Jamaican had previously compared himself to the Barcelona legend, suggesting they were both gifted with the kind of natural talent to reach the pinnacle of their respective sports.
"Messi is very talented," he told Omnisport in 2018. "From what I've learned and listened to over the years, Cristiano had to work to get where he is. I was born with speed and had a lot of talent [like Messi]."
Bolt has been out of action for four years now, since retiring in 2017 and speaking in 2020, he suggested that Juventus star Ronaldo would be able to beat him in a race over 100m.
"For sure Cristiano [is faster than me]," Bolt told Marca Sport last year. "For me he works out every day, he is a super athlete.
"He always on top of his game, he works hard and he is focused. Right now I definitely think he would be faster than me."
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