Former Spain and Barcelona midfield great Xavi has countered claims that he said Cristiano Ronaldo was not intelligent as compared to Lionel Messi.
The Spaniard, currently plying his trade with Al Sadd SC in the Qatar Stars League, was quoted in The New Arab where he spoke about the difference between the Portuguese forward and Messi.
Comparisons between the two stars have always attracted strong interest, and in a week where Ronaldo helped Madrid secure a Champions League semifinal spot, while Messi failed to score again as Barca crashed out of the quarterfinals against Atletico Madrid, Xavi's comments fueled intense debate.
Xavi has since clarified his intentions, stating that his quotes were lost in translation.
"The translation of what I said was erroneous," Xavi told Canal Plus in an interview previewed by AS.
"I said that there are two types of speed in football. There is the physical side, and in this aspect Messi and Cristiano are at the same level.
"And then there is the speed at which you are able to connect with your teammates, and in this aspect Messi is of the highest level, whereas Cristiano is not.
"Cristiano does not seem like a player who excels at linking up with his teammates. He is not a passer of the ball and that is why Messi is the best in the world for me. He has both kinds of speed, both the physical one and the one that allows him to link up with his teammates.
"I never talked about intelligence and I never said Cristiano lacks intelligence."
Neither player will be focusing on Xavi's comments, with the La Liga title battle going down the wire with Barcelona holding a four-point lead over Madrid, who are in third place with Atletico Madrid in second on 73.
Should Madrid and Barcelona fail to win against Getafe and Valencia respectively, Atletico could go level on points with Barca with a home win against Granada.