Sunderland winger, Simon Adingra has jokingly said that he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Softfootball reports.
Both players are arguably the best players in world football. Their numbers are almost impossible to match and between them they share 14 Ballon D’Or, six for Ronaldo and eight for the mercurial Argentine Messi. Adingra who made his debut for Sunderland in the 3-0 win over West Ham United would hope to get to the levels of Ronaldo and Messi someday.
Speaking to FIFA in an interview shared on their official media, Adingra says he actually looks up to both players but people back home in Ivory Coast jokingly say he is better. He said:
Back home, people often say, ‘You’re better than Messi’ (laughs). Mind you, it’s only a joke. Sometimes they tell me, ‘You’re better than Ronaldo’ (laughs). Ronaldo and Messi are the two best players in the world. I look up to them both.
Adingra is currently with the national team playing in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Sunderland winger created the goal as Côte d’Ivoire beat Burundi 1-0 on Friday. They face Gabon on Tuesday as they fight for the top of the group. He said:
The match against Burundi was hugely important for us because Gabon had moved to the top of the group, which meant it was a must-win game. We managed to do it, which makes us feel more settled.
Now we’re focused on the match in Gabon. As a squad, we know it won’t be a straightforward match because we’re playing away, but we’re focusing on our strengths. Our players are used to the pressure of playing in highly competitive leagues and decisive matches, which will help us when the time comes. I’m sure it will all work out. [In the first leg] it was all about the small details. We’ll have to keep our heads in the game because they’re playing at home in front of their fans. It’s up to us to push for the three points.
Côte d’Ivoire are bidding to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
