‘’He’s very complete’’ – When Carlos Tevez snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while naming his best teammate 

Carlos Tevez once snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for Wayne Rooney when asked to name the best player he had played alongside.

Tevez is one of the very few players who have had the privilege to play alongside Messi and Ronaldo. He shared the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United while he played with Lionel Messi in the Argentine national team. Just like Ronaldo, Tevez also played with Rooney at United between 2007-2009.

Speaking in 2009 after Tevez had left Manchester United for their local rivals, Manchester City, he picked Rooney as the best player he had shared the pitch with, insisting that the Englishman has everything and is very complete. He said (via Mirror):

‘‘I’ve had the honour of playing with some great players. At United, I had Cristiano in my team and obviously, I have Messi in the national team. At Boca Juniors I had striker Martin Palermo for a teammate – he was very impressive. He was the one who put two goals past Real Madrid in Japan. But the one I like the most is Rooney. He has everything. He’s very complete.

‘‘Plus we share the same humble origins. Although the humbleness he experienced growing up in Liverpool was obviously a bit more bearable than Fuerte Apache in Argentina, where in grew up.’’

Carlos Tevez played with Wayne 61 times, and the pair combined for 10 goals. He shared the pitch with Lionel Messi 47 times, and they combined for 10 goals. He played with Cristiano Ronaldo 80 times, combining for 8 goals.

‘‘For Leo it comes naturally’’ – When Carlos Tevez outlined the difference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Apart from picking Wayne Rooney over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when naming his best teammate, Carlos Tevez also weighed in on the GOAT debate between his compatriot and his Portuguese rival.

Tevez believes Ronaldo’s success came due to hard work, while Messi was naturally gifted. He told ESPN Argentina in 2018:

‘‘Cristiano is totally different to Messi. When Leo was starting out, he didn’t touch a gym. But Cristiano was there in the morning, afternoon, and evening, all the time Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo it comes naturally.’’

‘‘Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For Messi to score three goals [in any given game] is normal’’

Despite being in the twilight of their careers, Messi and Ronaldo have continued to strut their stuff at their respective clubs.