India's talismanic Test captain says the hard work put in by the Real Madrid superstar is seeing him give Barcelona's Lionel Messi 'a run for his money'

Cristiano Ronaldo is a figure who transcends football, with the Real Madrid forward a global brand whose appeal stretches to all corners of the world.

There are not too many sporting icons who can claim to hold such a standing, with the Portuguese’s unrelenting drive to be the best carrying him to the very top of his chosen profession.

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Someone who can relate to the 31-year-old, though, is Virat Kohli.

Test captain of a cricket-mad nation, the Indian batsman is the millennial talisman of his country.

He is also a performer whose fame stretches well beyond the boundaries of his own sport, with the 28-year-old having followed a similar path to superstardom as Ronaldo.

Both men are renowned for their dedication to continuous improvement, and Kohli admits he looks to the 2016 Ballon d’Or winner as an example of what can be achieved through hard work.

He told the official website of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB): "I take a lot of inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo.

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"My training regime is fixed by the trainer. But, the way he (Ronaldo) has stayed on top for so many years, it's nothing but down to hard work.”

While Ronaldo continues to raise the bar in football circles, Kohli is doing similar on the cricket field.

He already has two world records to his name - becoming the fastest cricketer to reach 7000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs), whilst setting the benchmark in Twenty20 (T20) cricket by becoming the fastest man to 1000 runs internationally.

Many would consider him to be a ‘freak of nature’, but Kohli reserves that title for Barcelona’s enigmatic Argentine Lionel Messi – another sporting icon he holds in the highest regard, but one Ronaldo has become the equal of.

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He added: "I have heard he (Ronaldo) is the most hardworking footballer in the world and that's why he is where he is.

“Messi is a freak, but this guy (Ronaldo) is giving him a run for his money because of his hard work.”