FIFA president Sepp Blatter, has once again stated that he admires Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, but prefers Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Blatter, 77, has been criticized in several quarters, for openly declaring his preference for Messi and mocked Ronaldo who “spends more time at the hairdresser”.

He apologised for his comments and praised Ronaldo’s talent, but he still made it clear that he prefers the Argentine.

“To me, he [Ronaldo] is still an outstanding player and an outstanding commander in the field,” he said. “But obviously each of us, in our heart, has our favourite.”

Blatter also used the opportunity, to stress FIFA’s position on the issue of racism in football, after high-profile cases involving Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure.

“One of the main objectives of Fifa is to combat racism,” he added. “Unfortunately, racism is not a game, but a reality. Racism itself cones from our society, and not football.”