With Mario Balotelli seemingly mocking Cristiano Ronaldo after Lionel Messi's two-goal showing in the first leg of FC Barcelona's UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, he once again spoke about the two superstars following the Blaugrana historic collapse this week.
Read: Balotelli Mocks Ronaldo Over Messi Comparisons
The Argentine scored a brace to help the Blaugrana beat Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg at the Camp Nou, but was not able to come up with a similar display in the return fixture.
Balotelli praised Messi after he helped Barcelona to their comfortable 3-0 lead in the tie, insisting people should "stop comparing him to Juventus No. 7 (Ronaldo)".
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Despite Barca's UCL elimination following a 4-0 defeat at Anfield on Tuesday night, the Italian striker remained full of praise for the Blaugrana captain, and was less critical of Ronaldo this time around.
"Messi is an alien, despite the bad and very difficult match," Balotelli said via an Instagram Story.
"Ronaldo remains the best player from this planet, despite not having played in the semi-finals.
"Anything else is nonsense talk. You cannot say bad things against these two for a game played badly or a missed qualification or a defeat. That would be crazy."
Read: Reports: Why Messi Was Left Behind By Barca Team Bus
The Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, which will take place on 1 June at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, will be the first without Messi or Ronaldo since 2013.
Do you think Balotelli is right, that Messi and Ronaldo are not to blame for their respective side's UCL knockouts this season? Have your say in the comments section below.
