What is the ruling on someone who supplicates to Allah to make him better than a specific person?

There appears to be no impediment to saying: "O Allah, make me more knowledgeable than so-and-so," or "more wealthy than so-and-so," if the intention is not to wish for the cessation of blessings from them. This is akin to 'ghibṭah' (envy without malice, or admiring someone's blessings and wishing for similar without wanting them to lose theirs).