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Former World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf has reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo claiming that winning the World Cup will not define his legacy. The Portugal captain has yet to win football's biggest prize, unlike his rival Lionel Messi, who lifted the trophy in 2022.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi gearing up for what could be their final appearance at the World Cup in 2026, Ronaldo made his feelings clear about his legacy being defined by his success at the tournament.
In his latest interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo stated:
“If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it’s not a dream. To define if I’m one of the best in history, you think it’s fair to depend on one competition of six or seven games?"
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Former Chelsea defender Leboeuf, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, believes winning the World Cup can actually define a player's legacy. He touched upon the fact that it is easier to win the World Cup when you play for a country like Portugal.
Leboeuf also explained how one of the greatest players in the world like George Weah had no chance of winning the World Cup since he played for Liberia. Since Cristiano Ronaldo plays for a star-studded team like Portugal, Leboeuf feels winning the World Cup is still something that can complete his career.
He said on ESPN FC:
“It can define your legacy because it is important to win a World Cup. When you belong to a [certain] country, you can win it [easily than others]. It’s important to win a World Cup, but I think about players like George Weah, who was one of the best strikers in the world but he was playing for Liberia. I always say, it was sad to see a player like him not being able to win a World Cup because he belongs to a country that doesn’t have enough talents.
"Portugal, can do so and because he belongs to a bigger country, it can define his legacy. It’s random, it’s hard to do so, but it can define his legacy.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in 22 appearances across five different World Cups. He is also the leading goalscorer in World Cup qualifiers with 41 strikes to his name.
"I don't want to be humble" - Cristiano Ronaldo makes big claim on GOAT debate
Owing to the incredibly high standards set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, fans have always fiercely debated about who is the greatest footballer out of the two. Even though Messi has won more Ballons d'Or and lifted the World Cup, Ronaldo still believes the Argentine is not better than him.
Ronaldo's former teammate Wayne Rooney was on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast in September and was asked to choose between the Portuguese legend and Messi. Rooney said (via GOAL):
"I think just because I've said that I think Messi is better than Ronaldo, people think I don't like Cristiano.... I absolutely love Messi, love watching him play and that was the only reason because I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played and taking players on."
During an exclusive interview, Piers Morgan asked Ronaldo about whether he agreed with Rooney's comments and whether Messi is the GOAT of football. The Portugal captain replied:
"Messi better than me? I don't agree with that opinion. I don't want to be humble."
Ronaldo and Portugal will be in action during the international break, where they take on Ireland (13 November) and Armenia (16 November) in Group F of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
