'The Same Level': Lucas Hernandez Backs Antoine Griezmann Over Recent Ronaldo & Messi Claim
Atletico Madrid and France defender Lucas Hernandez has spoken in defence of his club and international teammate Antoine Griezmann following Sergio Ramos' scathing assessment of the Frenchman comparing himself to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Griezmann sparked debate after declaring that he should be in the running for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award this year as he's just as good as the aforementioned pair, prompting Ramos to take him to task.
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Per RMC Sport, Ramos said: "Griezmann saying he is on the same table than Cristiano and Messi? Ignorance is very bold. I remember Raúl, Francesco Totti, Iker Casillas, Paolo Maldini...they won every title and they don't have a Ballon d'Or.
"Everybody is free to give his opinion and thoughts, but this guy should let himself be advised by Cholo Simeone, Diego Godín or Koke, who have some values which could be helpful to him. Anyway, he is a great player and I wish him the best."
Hernandez, though, has backed his compatriot, claiming that 90% of the world already believes that the French forward is on par with Ronaldo and Messi.
“I think that 90% of the world believes that Griezmann is at the same level as Messi and Ronaldo," the defender said after Atletico beat Monaco 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
“Maybe Sergio Ramos doesn’t like it, that Antoine has spoken his mind. We know that he defends his interests. He’s in a rival team, the team of the capital. We know that there’s a great rivalry between the teams and it’s normal that he defends his interests and we defend ours.”
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No one can recall having come across Hernandez's worldwide poll just yet, but the player seems quite certain Griezmann has 90% of the entire planet in his corner.
