"He doesn’t know when to rest" - When former Barcelona midfielder picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi

Former Barcelona and Juventus midfielder, Arthur Melo, had his say over who he would pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The 27-year-old picked the Portuguese as his choice in the debate between his two former teammates.

The Brazilian midfielder, who has had an injury-ravaged career, was left impressed with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid great. Melo shared in January 2021 what left him in awe of Cristiano Ronaldo, as reported by talkSPORT:

“I’d go with Cristiano, we’re playing together! I’m not that close to Cristiano that I go round his house for coffee, but we have a good relationship. Cristiano never backs down if there’s a teammate in need of something and he always gets to it with a fierce determination."

"He trains like an animal, he doesn’t know when to rest and he encourages you to give your all. He always tells me what to eat, not leaving anything to chance.”

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Arthur Melo shared the dressing room with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Arthur Melo is one of the very few players in the world to have the distinction of being teammates with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He was initially the Argentinian's teammate when he donned the Barcelona jersey between 2018 and 2020.

He was, then, involved in a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic to become the Portuguese superstar's teammate at Italian giants Juventus for the 2020-21 season. The Brazilian has previously also praised the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his focus on diet not just for himself, but also for his teammates.

"As an athlete and as a person, he is spectacular. He tries to improve every day. I remember that when we met at Juventus, in the dining room, he always looked at the rest of our plates and joked about what we had to eat," shared Arthur Melo.

Melo's preference for Cristiano did not mean he admired his rival, Lionel Messi any less. He had previously praised the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's leadership and will to win in 2021.

"Each person has their own way of demonstrating leadership. Messi does it with actions, as much as it seems he doesn't. He demonstrates it when he receives the ball, with his will to win the game and all his teammates notice this," said Melo (via Marca).