Ex-Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder believes he could have reached the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Inter Milan legend, who played a key role in Inter Milan’s treble-winning campaign in 2010, confessed he could have mirrored the aforementioned duo but his preference to enjoy living his life derailed that prospect.
In a glittering career which saw him feature for some of Europe’s top clubs, the former Dutch attacking midfielder narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or to Barcelona trio Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who eventually won the coveted diadem.
Sneijder finished fourth in the rankings after leading Jose Mourinho’s Nerazurris to a historic treble before scoring five vital goals during the Netherland’s run to the World Cup final that summer.
Reflecting on his career, Sneijder argued he could have been as good as Ronaldo or Messi but he “simply didn’t feel like it.
“I could have become like Messi or Ronaldo. I simply didn’t feel like it,” he told Gianluca di Marzio as quoted by Sports Bible.
He continued: “I enjoyed my life, maybe I had a glass [of wine] at dinner. Leo and Cristiano are different, they have made many sacrifices.
“And that’s fine with me, my career, however, was still amazing.”
