
Elneny speaking to Egyptian TV Channel MBC on Sunday (Photo: MBC's official facebook page)
Arsenal’s midfielder Mohamed Elneny believes that Barcelona star Lionel Messi is better than Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo because of his "distinguished talent".
“I believe that Messi is better than Ronaldo. You can’t see Messi’s talent a lot in football,” Elneny told MBC TV Channel on Sunday.
“Ronaldo's [attributes] are not less than Messi at all, but I see that the latter is a distinguished talent,” added the 23-year-old, who played against Messi in the midweek UEFA Champions League clash at the Nou Camp.
Elneny earned praise for opening his Arsenal account in style, curling a delightful shot into the top corner although Arsenal eventually lost the game 3-1 to bow out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage.
He has also featured in three Premier League games and four FA Cup matches since joining the Gunners from Swiss side Basel in the January transfer window.
Egypt v Nigeria
Elneny said he believes Egypt can overcome Nigeria in a crucial double-header in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers this month.
Egypt, who have not reached the Nations Cup since winning the last of their record seven titles in 2010, face Nigeria on Friday before hosting them four days later at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium.
Argentinean coach Hector Cuper has called up five foreign-based players for both clashes, including Roma winger Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Elneny, who is a pivotal member of the Pharaohs' squad.
“I feel that we can achieve a positive result against Nigeria. We know that they are a big and strong team but we are not weaker than them,” Elneny said.
“I feel a different thing this time as I see all people standing by the national team. This support is very important for us and we will do our best to achieve our target,” he concluded.
Egypt are leading Group G with six points, two ahead of second-placed Nigeria. Only the group winners are guaranteed automatic qualification for next year's Nations Cup finals in Gabon.
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