Cristiano Ronaldo is the Michael Jordan of football, says Man United's Jesse Lingard

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has claimed that Juventus icon Cristiano Ronaldo is the Michael Jordan of football. The comparisons made by Lingard between the five-time UCL winner and the six-time NBA champion comes only a few days after Juventus secured their ninth successive Serie A title. Lingard was asked to choose one footballer whose achievements would compare with those of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and the Englishman named Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently won his second Serie A title with the Old Lady.

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Jesse Lingard draws similarities between Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan, snubs Lionel Messi

While speaking to Sky Sports, Jesse Lingard was asked to name a footballer who would match the achievements of Michael Jordan in the 1990s. The Man United midfielder snubbed Barcelona's Lionel Messi and picked Cristiano Ronaldo instead. Lingard said, "For everything that Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in his career, winning several trophies at different clubs, I'd have to say he's the Michael Jordan of football." 

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Lindgard went on to recall his experiences with Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese star was at Man United. The 27-year-old admitted, "When he first came to England, I wasn't even a teenager but he showed us some skills in training. It was the first time I met Ronaldo but he was quite skinny at the time". Lingard claimed that he did play against Ronaldo a few times over the years and although the Portuguese star never really troubled the United midfielder on the pitch, his skill set was there for everyone to watch and admire. 

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Cristiano Ronaldo career stats 

A five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo has won three Premier League titles in England, two LaLiga titles with Real Madrid and two Serie A titles with Juventus so far. Ronaldo also won the UEFA Best Player in Europe on three occasions. The 35-year-old tasted success with Portugal four years ago when his team won Euro 2016.

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Michael Jordan career stats

In a career with accolades filled to the brim, Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest NBA player of all time. Aside from winning six NBA championships, the 57-year-old was also crowned NBA Finals MVP on six occasions. Jordan is also a 14-time NBA All-Star and a 10-time NBA scoring champion. NBA sides Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat retired the jersey number 23 in honour of Michael Jordan. 

Image Credits - fifa.com, Bulls Twitter