Ronaldo admits 'perceived arrogant image' cost him fan following

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo reckons his "arrogant" image has cost him from capturing the hearts of football fans across the world.

The Real forward revealed how his onfield demeanor has left him sitting in the shadow of the sport's golden boy and fans' favorite, Lionel Messi.

"I don't want to cry about it, but sometimes I think yes. It''s a question to which I never give the 100% right answer, because sometimes I really don't know," Ronaldo told CNN.

"I don''t think it's allowed for people to change my personality. Maybe sometimes, I agree that I have a bad image on the pitch because I'm too serious," he added.

According to the report, it comes after Ronaldo and Messi will go head-to-head for the prestigious Ballon d'Or in January, with the Barcelona star having won the award on each of the previous three occasions.

Both men have taken the sport to a new level with their record goalscoring feats: Ronaldo has scored an astonishing 164 times in 160 appearances for the Spanish champions, while Messi hit 50 in La Liga alone last term, the report said.

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