Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? When Jose Mourinho picked his choice in the never-ending debate with clever claim

Jose Mourinho put his weight behind Cristiano Ronaldo when he was asked to pick between the Portuguese star and Lionel Messi.

The current AS Roma manager was asked the evergreen question by Lisbon-based newspaper A Bola in 2012, and he gave a swift answer.

The then-Real Madrid manager was full of praise for his player and added that the Portuguese helped them become a winning team. He claimed that Messi was used to playing with top players, and it was more difficult to adapt to a new system and win. He said:

"I keep saying it's harder to be Cristiano than Lionel Messi. I'll tell you: Messi grew up in the team he plays for now; with the teammates, he plays with now. Not Cristiano. He was in England, then they put him here [Real Madrid] in a losing team. He had to grow over the last two years with this team which has been forming."

Mourinho continued:

"When someone with the same responsibility as me comes out and says: 'Mine is the best on the planet,' then I have to say: 'Mine was not born in Madeira, he was born on Mars; he is not from planet Earth, he is the best in the universe. If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe."

However, Mourinho shifted his tone while he was the manager of Tottenham Hotspur. He was asked by SportBible to select the three greatest footballers, and he took the names of Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona.

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Jose Mourinho does not see Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi as the greatest ever

Jose Mourinho has had high praise for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, he does not see the two as the greatest footballers ever.

He believes that Ronaldo Nazario is the best ever to grace the pitch and told LiveScore via Corriere dello Sport:

"Ronaldo [Nazario], ‘El Fenomeno'. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers. They have remained at the top every day for 15 years. However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo."

"When he was at Barcelona with Bobby Robson, I realised that he was the best player I'd ever seen take to the field. Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible," he added.

Ronaldo Nazario, however, has chosen Lionel Messi as the greatest footballer ever over Cristiano Ronaldo.