Ronaldo: Equaling Messi's World Cup Trophy Will Not Determine My Heritage

Cristiano Ronaldo denied that the World Cup trophy could label the best players in the world (Instagram/@cristiano).

JAKARTA - Cristiano Ronaldo told Piers Morgan that his legacy would not be determined by whether he won the World Cup or not.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 952 goals in his career and is the all-time leading goalscorer in international football for men with 143 goals.

The World Cup is the only major trophy he has yet to achieve in his brilliant career.

"If you ask me, Cristiano, is winning the World Cup a dream? No, it's not a dream," Ronaldo said in an interview clip with Piers Morgan.

This 40-year-old player considers it unfair if one tournament alone determines a player's career.

"Continguing what?" Determining whether I was one of the best in history, winning one tournament, (from) six games, seven games. Do you think that's fair?" said the Al Nassr captain.

Ronaldo, who won four of his five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, has been constantly compared to Lionel Messi throughout his career.

Former Barcelona star Messi, eight-time Ballon d'Or record winner, recently said that lifting the 2022 World Cup with Argentina after several failures was his dream of life.

Ronaldo has achieved many achievements with the Portugal national team. He led Portugal to glory at Euro 2016 and won the inaugural UEFA Nations League three years later and once again this summer.

He is the only player to have made it to the six Euros and is the tournament's top scorer in history with 14 goals.

Ronaldo insists there is no debate about who is the best in history.

"Is Messi better than me? I don't agree. I don't want to be humble," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo is expected to captain Portugal if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

It will mark Portugal's first tournament without Diogo Jota, who died in July 2025 in an accident in Spain.

Even though Ronaldo did not attend Jota's funeral, he felt devastated by the sudden departure of the Liverpool striker.

"I couldn't believe it when they sent me those messages. I cried a lot. It was a very difficult moment for everyone, for the country, for family, for friends, for teammates."

"Dancur. It was very, very sad news," Ronaldo said.