"In our generation, he was the best" - When Jose Mourinho picked Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo

The debate over who is greater - Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi - took an interesting turn when legendary manager Jose Mourinho made his pick. Speaking to TNT Sports over a year ago, Mourinho's choice is doing the rounds now, with the Portuguese preferring Messi over his famed counterpart Ronaldo.

As reported by Forbes, Mourinho picked eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi over Ronaldo as the greatest player of this generation. This was rather astonishing given that the coach, who is now with Fenerbahce, had worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013.

TNT Sports had asked Mourinho about the one player he wished he had signed in his career, and he chose Messi. The Argentine superstar currently plies his trade for Inter Miami in the MLS although he is known most fondly for his time with Barcelona (2004-2021), followed by two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain (2021-2023).

"Of course I would have to say the little guy (Lionel Messi). But the little guy was not coachable. But I have to say, in our generation, he was the best," said Mourinho.

---

Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself on another list by Jose Mourinho

Mourinho was later asked to make a list of the best players he had worked with in his career, and Cristiano Ronaldo found himself on it. The latter now plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr after moving to the Middle East in early 2023.

He arrived at Manchester United in 2021 from Juventus with the great hope of reviving the club, but his relationship with then-manager Erik Ten Hag broke down.

"You know, it is very hard to say, to speak about [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard, [Didier] Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Man United, all the Inter guys, I don't know," said Mourinho.

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo are among the greatest to have played this game. The Portuguese superstar has netted 24 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for Al Nassr this season. Messi, meanwhile, ended the 2024 MLS season with 23 strikes in 25 matches across all competitions. He even bagged an astonishing number of assists that season - 13.

In the same conversation, Mourinho was asked about which club he thought had the best supporters in the world.

"Old Trafford is Old Trafford, Bernabeu is Bernabeu, San Siro is San Siro, Stamford Bridge is Stamford Bridge ... But I would say for a team not used to winning, Roma fans are so, so loyal to the team," said the former Manchester United boss.