Sergio Ramos: Antoine Griezmann 'Is a Great Player' but 'Ignorance Can Be Brash'

Sergio Ramos believes Antoine Griezmann should take advice from those around him after the Frenchman stated his belief that he is on the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

Griezmann was asked if he put himself in that bracket:

Per AS' Agustin Martin, when asked the same question about Griezmann, Ramos said:

"Good question. Ignorance can be brash.

"When I hear this guy speak, it reminds me of players such as [Francesco] Totti, Raul, [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Iker] Casillas, [Paolo] Maldini, Xavi or [Andres] Iniesta, players who have won many awards and titles but never a Ballon d'Or.

"Everyone has freedom of speech but he should listen to the likes of [Diego] Simeone, [Diego] Godin or Koke, people [with] decent principles as it would serve him well. Having said that, I do feel he is a great player."

As the Evening Standard's Ben Hayward noted, Ramos may still be rankling after Griezmann borrowed a picture from Bleacher Report to troll him following Atletico Madrid's win over Real in the UEFA Super Cup last month:

Legends like Totti, Raul or Iniesta are hardly bad company to be in, and failing to win a Ballon d'Or has done their reputations no harm, but Ramos perhaps does have a point.

Griezmann is an outstanding player—he has scored 113 goals in little more than four seasons with Atletico Madrid and helped France win the FIFA World Cup this year—but he still has a long way to go to match the achievements of Messi or Ronaldo.

The pair have exclusively won the Ballon d'Or between them over the last 10 years, winning five apiece.

Both players celebrated remarkable milestones recently:

Messi and Ronaldo have not only hit heights few footballers could match in the sport's history, they've also had the longevity to sustain that level of play and success for more than a decade, which fewer still can boast.

The last time Ronaldo failed to score at least 40 goals in a season was in 2010, while Messi hasn't done so since 2009.

Although Griezmann is slightly restricted in that Simeone's Atleti are more known for their defensive capabilities than their attacking play, it's worth noting his most prolific season is significantly lower at 32 goals.

It's understandable after winning the World Cup that Griezmann may welcome comparisons with the duo, but he'll need to sustain his best for years to come if he's to earn them, and even then that might not be enough.

In the meantime, the Frenchman might be best served by keeping his feet on the ground.