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It's like Pele vs Maradona, an eternal debate that will never be resolved. However, countless people, including top footballers past and present, have weighed in and had their say on who the better player is between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Needless to say, most have taken the safe approach and not gone in favour of one of the two outright. Many will keep weighing in on this debate in the future and probably take the same route too.
While Lionel Messi remains the most magical dribbler and astounds with his vision and passing, Cristiano Ronaldo is brilliant in terms of strength, heading and power.
Five players who played with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and picked the better player between the two
There are some footballers who have gone out on a limb and chosen one between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They have played with both Messi and Ronaldo, so we need to take their opinions seriously.
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So without further ado, let us take a look at five players who have played with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and picked one of Messi and Ronaldo as the better player.
#5 Angel Di Maria
PSG and Argentina stalwart Angel Di Maria has not only played with both Lionel Messi (at Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (at Real Madrid) but also with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Di Maria is one of the best attackers in the game, and his opinion thus carries weight. While holding high praise for all of them, Di Maria opines that his countryman is the best while hailing Ronaldo as a 'monster'. He did not elaborate on his choice, though. Country before club, maybe?
Di Maria has been quoted as saying the following about Lionel Messi:
“Leo is the best... Cristiano is a monster, and Neymar is simply a joy for football. He's Brazilian, and when he plays, all he does is have fun. When I will be an old man, I will tell my grandchildren bedtime stories about when I won the Champions League, hopefully when I won the World Cup, but most of all, I will tell them that their grandfather used to play with Lionel Messi.”
Verdict - Lionel Messi.
#4 Carlos Tevez
Another Argentine forward - Carlos Tevez - also mixed with the big boys in Europe for a number of top clubs during an illustrious career and had the privilege of playing with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tevez, who believes that Lionel Messi is a more natural talent, and Cristiano Ronaldo is the one who works harder, went for his compatriot while choosing the better player between the two. Tevez played with Lionel Messi for La Albiceleste and struck up a great rapport with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.
He had great words for Ronaldo too, especially eulogising the Portuguese player for his work-ethic and hunger.
“Cristiano always stopped in the gym after training. For him, it is an obsession, and, being the best in everything, he always arrived at work early." (Told to Depor in 2018)
Verdict - Lionel Messi.
#3 Deco
Now for a change, we will deal with someone who played with Cristiano Ronaldo in international football and with Lionel Messi at the club level.
Portuguese playmaker Deco played with Lionel Messi at Barcelona while he had the privilege of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal. Interestingly, Deco doesn't choose one of the two as the better player, instead terming both as great.
However, Deco went for the Brazilian sorcerer Ronaldinho as the absolute best he has played with simply because of the things he could do with the ball when he was in his prime.
Verdict: Split.
#2 Paulo Dybala
Paulo Dybala currently plays with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus and has struck up quite a partnership with the Portuguese genius in Turin despite the club undergoing a bit of a transition.
Dybala, who is one of the mainstays in the Argentina team, has travelled with Lionel Messi to major international tournaments. However, unsurprisingly, he also vouches that the two maestros are great in their own right.
"I can study them every day. Who doesn't want to play with the best? We are talking about two phenomenal players; two players who are one or two steps above the rest."- Dybala.
Verdict: Split.
#1 Gerard Pique
Veteran Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been a part of many great battles with Lionel Messi, most of which they won during the club's heydays.
The multiple trophy-winning centre-half is still a pillar at the club along with the Argentine magician. He also played with Cristiano Ronaldo during his formative years at Manchester United.
Having watched both Messi and Ronaldo from close quarters, Gerard Pique understandably recognises the genius in both. However, he sums up quite eloquently why he thinks that Messi is ahead.
“Cristiano is a perfect machine, a hard worker who always wants to improve,” Pique ( Voetbal Magazine).
“But for me it’s like Messi is not human, but (Ronaldo) is the best of the humans.”- Pique (BT Sport)
Verdict - Lionel Messi.
