Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have long been considered the two greatest soccer players of the current generation. However, one star believes that he deserves as much recognition as they do.
Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery recently told reporters that he believed he should win the award for UEFA player of the year. The Frenchman is currently nominated alongside the two superstars.
"I've dreamed about this title for a long time," he said, according to the Malay Mail Online. "Last season I played really well and won huge titles. Why shouldn't I win it? I deserve it as much as the other two."
Ribery was part of a historic Munich side that won the Champions League and Bundesliga championship; he was considered one of the key players in the run.
"Already I'm very happy to be among the finalists. But when you have a season like mine you want to be rewarded by such an honor," he added with more humility.
However, Ribery did note that he possesses skills that Messi or Ronaldo do not.
"Each has their own qualities. What [Messi and Ronaldo] do for sure better than me is score goals. They score more often than me, but I set up more goals [than them]," he said.
Ribery finished the 2012-13 season with 23 assists; Messi finished the season with 16 assists and 60 goals in all competitions; while Ronaldo concluded his campaign with 55 goals and 12 assists. Ribery already has one goal and one assist this season, Messi has two goals and one assist, and Ronaldo has one assist and no goals.
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