Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? When Kevin De Bruyne revealed which player he wanted to play alongside

The debate between who the better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been raging for nearly two decades. Back in 2023, Kevin de Bruyne spoke about the duo, providing a neutral response by picking the player he would rather share the pitch with.

Notably, Messi and Ronaldo dominated all of European football across the 2010s, winning nearly every Ballon d'Or in that decade. They have racked up a combined 13 Ballons d'Or, with the Argentine playmaker winning an unprecedented eight.

However, Kevin de Bruyne decided to go with Cristiano Ronaldo due to him playing in a similar position to Lionel Messi. The legendary Belgian playmaker explained (via SPORTbible):

"I would probably say Ronaldo because he’s more of a typical striker. Messi is still more of a playmaker. I am a playmaker, you can give me a striker."

This is hardly a surprise, as Kevin de Bruyne has provided a truly remarkable number of assists throughout his club career. The Belgian midfielder has played a total of 611 games for five teams across Europe, providing an impressive 254 assists.

His work rate for Manchester City has been truly unique, as he has provided 170 assists in 382 games for the Cityzens. This hasn't stopped him from showing his impact in other ways, with the Belgian also scoring 102 goals for City.

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The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has ended, according to the Portuguese legend

In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about how the rivalry between him and Lionel Messi had come to an eventual end. He made these comments after both players left Europe, choosing to further their careers on other continents, with the Portuguese icon moving to Saudi Arabia. His Argentine counterpart moved across the pond to the USA.

Now, Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, a team he led to the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. He spoke about his rivalry with Messi, revealing that it was over (via SPORTbible):

"I don't see things like that, the rivalry is gone. It was good, spectators liked it... He's followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe. From what I've seen, he's been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don't see the rivalry like that. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years..."

Lionel Messi has certainly done well for himself, with the legendary Argentine playmaker leading his country to four trophies in very quick succession. He has also won the US Open Cup with Inter Miami.