Tyson Fury weighs in on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate as he meets CR7 ahead of 'Battle of the Baddest' bout with Francis Ngannou

• Fury met with Ronaldo
• Spoke on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate
• Hailed the Portuguese as the 'greatest'

WHAT HAPPENED? The British professional boxer was spotted chatting with Ronaldo ahead of the WBC heavyweight champion's match in Riyadh this weekend. 'The Gypsy King' was born in Manchester, the same city where Ronaldo achieved global fame after signing with Manchester United in 2003. Fury himself is a Red Devil faithful and has attended several matches at Old Trafford.

Hence, it was no surprise when the boxer labelled Ronaldo as the "greatest footballer" and revealed that he has keenly followed his career in Manchester and subsequently with Real Madrid.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Cristiano, you're the greatest footballer that's ever lived and I mean that," Fury told Ronaldo.

"Thank you very much," the forward replied with a beaming smile.

"I'm a big fan, I watch all the football. I watched you at United the first time and the second time. All of the Real Madrid games."

THE GOSSIP: Ronaldo is backing Fury ahead of Saturday night's "Battle Of The Baddest" in Riyadh. He was present at the Champions Gala and even pretended to punch the legend as the boxer played along with the footballer. During the conversation, when Ronaldo asked why Fury does not frequent the stadium any more, the athlete replied: "I come to the stadium, but I get very much tortured when I go there. It's just like...boom. It's very difficult for me."

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty Images / GOALGetty

WHAT NEXT? Ronaldo will return to action with Al-Nassr when they take on Al Feiha in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.