The Olympic champion is a keen admirer of the Real Madrid icon, but feels he has more in common with the Argentina captain
Legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has likened his natural talent to that of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.
An eight-time Olympic champion, the 31-year-old Bolt retired last year after an incredible career that also included 11 world titles.
When asked at Wednesday's Match of Friendship, Bolt described himself as "a massive fan" of Cristiano Ronaldo but said he identified more with Messi, suggesting they both benefited from a natural ability.
"Messi is very talented," he told Omnisport, speaking courtesy of Hublot.
"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's desire to play football professionally has been well documented and he will get his chance to impress coaches at Borussia Dortmund this week when he heads to Germany for a training session.
He is already looking one step ahead, though, and is using it as a platform to help achieve his ultimate dream - playing for his beloved Manchester United.
"I don't know what to expect [at Dortmund]," he added.
"I'm going to try my best, as always. I'm a very determined person when I want something so I'm going to go there and do my best. For me, my best is always good enough.
"I would love to play for the team [Manchester United], to give it some thought and see where it goes. After the trials I then have a base to tell him [Jose Mourinho] I can do this, I can do that."
JibriilWahil
175
Even bolt aknowledge the fact that messi is the best player and he is a Ronaldo fan that just tells you how great messi is
shisha
80
Even bolt aknowledge the fact that messi is the best player and he is a Ronaldo fan that just tells you how great messi is
Nope. Bolt acknowledges the fact that he has to learn a lot before he can reach Ronaldo's level whereas he knows right now he can only reach close to Messi's level
AMTahir25550
69
I think bolt thinks himself is from another planet like messi but when he wakes up from sleep and finds out that it was a dream only then he realizes that actually he is a fan of Cr7.
Abdik
64
I agree with Bolt, the G.O.A.T Messi & Bolt are gifted with a lot of natural talent, but [CR7] is something else, he is the most hardworking athlete I've ever seen, hats off 👏. One of the reasons I respect & love [CR7] a lot is because of his hardwork, he proved to many footballer followers that hardwork beats talent. Respect both, Messi & Cristiano are phenomenal footballers, let's enjoy em both, it won't last forever.
mickey00
35
the myth of messi being naturally talented and ronaldo training hard is flawed and it has become almost a cliche. messi puts in a lot of training as CR7 to perfect his craft and skills. no player can reach this feat as messi and ronaldo without training hard... on the eye, psychologically , because of messi diminutive stature and low center of gravity and his ability to do more with his small physique, we turn to credit him with more talent , because using small size to do achieve is deemed more "talent" the big to achieve big according to the human mind
Madrista_forever
21
Even bolt aknowledge the fact that messi is the best player and he is a Ronaldo fan that just tells you how great messi is
it's not about greatness buddy he is natural as Messi and does not have to work hard as cr7 and no one can work hard like cr7 for such a long time so he knows he comes no we're closer to Ronaldo and he is natural talent that's why he opted Messi because he can be compared as he too knows Hard work beats talent,if talent doesn't work hard k,keep this line in your mind,cr7 after being talented he works hard like a beast brother,k don't compare just enjoy thier play
Arsenio1RM
12
question? how long did ronaldinho stay at his prime? 2-3 years I believe, because he did not inculcate discipline , hardworking, hunger , training etc into his game in stark anthetesis, messi and cr7 having talent did what Ronnie didn't do; they trained hard, they were disciplined and they were hungry for records, it is no accident the both cr7 and messi have dominated for the last 12 years
His talent may not be recognized with awards but the man is still a genius on the field stomach pouch and all, you are right he lacks discipline but he is still magnificent all the way till his retirement, watch his Futsal games and you will see, there is no denying his uniqueness even without immense training. They are many that can't do what he does even if they train. My argument is not for how long he was at the top bit for him not training and still being so gifted that anyone would still choose him on their team.
FootMonde
11
It's funny how messi was born with a talent of being the best footballer in the world, but how come Cristiano ronaldo who was so determine to be the best and worked hard to get where he is and yet he can beat messi who didn't have to do much to get where he is For example : ronaldo has more goals in the Champions League than messi, and he has one international title with portugal in which he won at the euro's and he is also not a quiter bc when portugal lost the euro's final In 2004 against Greece in their home country, ronaldo shed some tears but yet never gave up and continued to work harder to achieve that dream of one day winning it which ended up happening 12 years later, compared to messi who after a second copa de America final lost to Chile in a row, he decided to quit bc he's a quitter so I think ronaldo is the true best player in the world