"He was really tough to mark" - When Kyle Walker snubbed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo while naming 3 toughest opponents

In 2023, Kyle Walker named the three toughest opponents he had ever faced, snubbing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. For many defenders, the thought of facing either Messi or Ronaldo — two of the best players in the history of football — is daunting. However, the same cannot be said for Walker.

The Manchester City defender named Chelsea legend Eden Hazard as the toughest opponent he had faced, explaining (via OneFootball):

"We’ve had some good battles at Tottenham, you know, Tottenham v Chelsea. He (Hazard) was really tough to mark, and sometimes I got the better of him, sometimes he got the better of me."

The next player Walker named was Liverpool legend Sadio Mane, saying:

"Again, you know, being at Manchester City, I’ve had some great rivals with Liverpool and coming up against him (Mane) was always tough. You know, so skillful, worked really hard for the team, and also, you know, chipped in with a lot of goals, sometimes against me."

For the third spot, Walker could not decide between Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., who now both play for Real Madrid:

"I think it’s hard to say between them both. You know, Mbappe very, very skillful. Obviously played against him at PSG and against France in the World Cup. Vinicius Junior, I think the same, very skillful young player, exciting winger, you know, with the world at his feet, so I think both of them deserve a mention, and it would be hard for me to say a top three."

The Manchester City defender faced Lionel Messi twice in his career when the Barcelona legend was at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The legendary Argentine playmaker scored in one of those games. Walker faced Cristiano Ronaldo just once when the Portugal legend was at Manchester United for his second stint. However, Ronaldo did not score in that game.

These matches were too few and far between for Kyle Walker to view the two icons as his toughest opponents.

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Manchester City midfielder chooses Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Kyle Walker's Manchester City teammate Rodri has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the long-standing debate about the legendary duo. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner once played for Atletico Madrid, where he faced Messi at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

He emphasized Lionel Messi's lethal ability in all areas, telling Spanish show El Horminguero (via 90min):

"Cristiano, for example, what you didn't want him to do was step into the box, because when he did step into the box he was lethal. But Messi was lethal on all sides of the pitch."

Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards in his career, while Lionel Messi has won an unprecedented eight. Both players have left Europe, with the Portugal legend playing in Saudi Arabia, while his Argentine counterpart playing in the USA.