Lionel Messi makes an incredible claim about Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite their long-standing competition, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi nevertheless hold a great deal of respect for one another’s professional achievements. Due to their career milestone accomplishments, these football titans are regarded as two of the best players of all time. A few records that Messi and Ronaldo have broken and/or set could not even be broken in their lifetimes.
Together, the two players have received 12 Ballon d’Or honors, all of which were won between the years 2008 and 2021. The Portuguese forward has only won five of them, compared to the Argentine ace’s seven. For many years, they have dominated both European and international football. Saying that it could be challenging to see a football rivalry that even comes even close to theirs in the future wouldn’t be out of place.
Despite this, the two athletes continue to work together professionally off the field since they frequently hold one another in high regard. One such occasion occurred in 2013 during the European Golden Shoe award ceremony. Messi, the captain of Argentina and at the time a player for Barcelona, was quick to compliment Ronaldo on his extraordinary goal-scoring abilities.
The new Paris Saint-Germain forward said: “He [Ronaldo] is always there scoring goals in all the games and participating in his club and the national side. He has been doing it for a long time, and it is irrelevant whether he is performing at his best or slightly below.” Both seasoned football players are now nearing the end of their illustrious careers. Messi now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, a major French club (PSG). Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia is Ronaldo’s new task at the moment.
Due to his contributions to football when he was still playing, the late Dutch star is recognized as one of the best players of all time. Both as a player and a coach, Johan Cruyff created a lasting legacy. He also offered his opinion on the contentious Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT argument while he was still alive.
But Cruyff chose the Argentine captain over his bitter rival Ronaldo. He stated: “Leo is a lot better at working as a team than Cristiano. Along with scoring, he provides lots of assists. Leo is superior to me as a player. Being the best player and just being a terrific striker are quite different things.”
Everybody who knows football knows this, he continued. I find it incomprehensible that some individuals can consider Leo to be less than ideal. This has nothing to do with Cristiano. He is one of the best goal-scorers ever and a fantastic player. It’s about Leo and how amazing he is. Although Cruyff passed away in 2016, his legacy as a player and a coach continues to this day. He was a three-time winner of the coveted Ballon d’Or as a player and is a strong supporter of the coaching philosophy known as “Total football.”
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