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Cristiano Ronaldo Is The Most Admired Sportsman In 2019 According To Study

Cristiano Ronaldo Is The Most Admired Sportsman In 2019 According To Study

Ronaldo is ahead of fellow five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Cristiano Ronaldo is the admired sportsman this year, based on a recent survey conducted by YouGov.

YouGov put together lists of the most admired men and women in 2019, with over 42,000 people from 41 countries being consulted to assemble the names.

And five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is the highest-ranked athlete, climbing three places to seventh on the male list - two places ahead of fellow superstar Lionel Messi in ninth, who is up two spots.


Both Ronaldo and Messi, who have dominated at the highest level of football for the best part of ten years, are more admired than United States President Donald Trump and Pope Francis.

While the pair both strive to the best in the business and break countless individual records, there is a great deal of respect between them.

In fact last month, Messi openly admitted that he missed Ronaldo playing in La Liga after the Portuguese signed for Serie A giants Juventus.

Image: PA
Image: PA

"Of course I miss Ronaldo, he made Real Madrid stronger," Messi told Fox Sports, as per Ole.

"I said that they were going to feel the exit of Cristiano, as it would have happened to any team.

"A few people got angry but it's a reality, he scored 50 goals per season for them and it was a key factor in their success. The whole league misses him now."

Messi and Ronaldo's rivalry has always been exaggerated by the media and fans, with the Argentine stating that while they weren't exactly best pals, they had a pretty good relationship.

"It was good for us both, we always wanted to improve ourselves. We did not have much of a relationship. We knew each other only from matches and at award ceremonies, but we always had good vibes and often talk too."

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Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Lionel Messi, Italian Football, Portugal, Juventus, Argentina, Spanish football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, La Liga