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Wesley Sneijder Claims He Could Have Been As Good As Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo

Wesley Sneijder Claims He Could Have Been As Good As Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo

The former Inter midfielder could have won the Ballon d'Or in the Serie A side's treble season but missed out to Messi.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Wesley Sneijder has claimed he could have been as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but he 'simply didn't feel like it,' and preferred drinking wine.

In 2010 Sneijder could have made a claim to have been the best player in the world that year, as he was the key man in Jose Mourinho's Inter winning the Treble and Netherland's run to the World Cup final that summer.

The midfielder missed out on the Ballon d'Or though, finishing fourth behind Barcelona trio Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Sneijder though believes he was good enough to be as good as the Argentina star, and his rival Ronaldo, more consistently, if he just didn't enjoy living his life as much.

"I could have become like Messi or Ronaldo. I simply didn't feel like it," he told Gianluca di Marzio.

"I enjoyed my life, maybe I had a glass at dinner (of wine) at dinner. Leo and Cristiano are different, they have made many sacrifices.

"And that's fine with me, my career however, was still amazing."

Sneijder faced Messi in the Champions League semi-final in 2010. Image: PA Images
Sneijder faced Messi in the Champions League semi-final in 2010. Image: PA Images

The Dutchman isn't wrong about how good his career was. The 2009/10 season was obviously the highlight as Mourinho's team won Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

After that incredible success he also helped his national team defy the odds in South Africa and reach the World Cup final, where they came up short against the incredible Spain team, in one of the most controversial finals in recent memory.

Sneijder also won Eredivisie, La Liga and Super Lig titles with Ajax, Real Madrid and Galatasaray respectively, and won the Silver Boot and Bronze Ball awards at the 2010 World Cup.

Sneijder also discussed the best teammate he ever had and Spanish midfielder Guti earns the honour.

The duo played together at Real Madrid between 2007 and 2009, with Sneijder saying: "When I started at Real Madrid, he didn't talk to me for 3 `months because he ended up on the bench because of me, but then we started playing together and we had an incredible understanding.

"He's a phenomenal player, probably the best I've ever played with."

Should Sneijder have won the Ballon d'Or in 2010? Let us know your thoughts.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inter Milan