When asked at Wednesday's Match of Friendship, Bolt described himself as "a massive fan" of Cristiano Ronaldo but said he identified more with Messi, suggesting they both benefited from a natural ability.
"Messi is very talented," he told Omnisport, speaking courtesy of Hublot.
"From what I've learned and listened to over the years, Cristiano had to work to get where he is. I was born with speed and had a lot of talent [like Messi]."
Bolt's desire to play football professionally has been well documented and he will get his chance to impress coaches at Borussia Dortmund this week when he heads to Germany for a training session.
