Cristiano Ronaldo lashed out at Xavi after the former Barcelona midfielder called Lionel Messi a better player than the Real Madrid star.
Xavi, who is currently plying his trade with Qatari football club Al Sadd after making a move from the Spanish giants following the 2014/15 La Liga season, opined his former Barcelona teammate would be the number one until he stopped playing.
The Spanish legend's comments have not gone down well with Ronaldo, who starred in Real Madrid's 5-2 win over Osasuna in their La Liga clash on Saturday. Notably, the 31-year-old was back on the turf after recovering from a knee injury, that kept him out of action since July 2016.
Ronaldo is primed to win his fourth Ballon d'Or title in 2016 after leading Real to 2015/16 Uefa Champions League title. He also won his maiden international title with Portugal at the 2016 European Championship. The Portugal skipper went about mocking Xavi and said competing with Messi was a privilege.
"I am the most searched player on the internet. Anyone who wants free publicity or media attention talks about me," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by Marca.
"I could not care less about what Xavi says about me, he plays in Qatar or I don't even know where.
"He has won every collective trophy, including a World Cup and the European Championship, but he has never won a Ballon D'Or.
"It is a privilege for me to have won the Ballon d'Or three times with Messi contending for the award."
With his Real contract due to expire in 2018, Ronaldo also revealed intentions of staying on with the club until his retirement. After making the move from Manchester United to Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the 2009/10 season, the striker went on to become the top-scorer at the Madrid club overtaking Raul's tally of 323 goals in 2015.
"If I were the president of Real Madrid, I would give myself a 10-year contract. Right now I'm not thinking about anything else in my career, all I want is to retire at Real. This is the biggest club in the world and it should have the best players," Ronaldo added.
