“Every person that understands football knows this” – Johan Cruyff’s comment to pick clear winner in Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaces

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff's explanation for why he thinks Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo has resurfaced online.

Messi and Ronaldo have established themselves as the best players of their generation over the last 15 years. It is telling that Real Madrid midfield maestro Luka Modric is the only other player to have won the Ballon d'Or since 2008.

However, the two are now heading towards the end of their careers. At 35 and 37 years of age, Messi and Ronaldo have just one year remaining on their contracts with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester United respectively.

Despite Messi and Ronaldo being in their late 30s, they continue to provoke debate about who is the best between the two. While several people have made their case for both players over the years, not many are qualified to have a say on the matter quite like Cruyff.

The Ajax and Barcelona legend picked his winner in the Messi versus Ronaldo debate before his passing in 2016. He did not hesitate to choose the Argentinean maestro over the Portuguese icon when asked for his opinion.

Cruyff, in fact, could not understand why some people think Messi is not the best player in the world. He claimed that the 35-year-old is the better all-round player, while Ronaldo is a great goalscorer. He was quoted as saying by Give Me Sport:

“Lionel Messi is much more a team player than Cristiano Ronaldo is. He scores but also produces many assists. For me as a player, Messi is better. There is a big difference in being just a great goalscorer and being the best player."

“Every person that understands football knows this. It’s absolutely ridiculous to me that some people actually think Messi isn’t the best."

"This isn’t about Cristiano at all. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best goalscorers ever. This is about how ridiculously good Messi is.”

Messi and Ronaldo have won 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them so far.

---

Steven Gerrard also picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool great Steven Gerrard is another legend to have had his say in the Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Like Cruyff, the Englishman also chose the PSG talisman over the Manchester United star. He said:

“There are certain players who are on a different level to anyone else out there, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Ronaldo doesn’t get in my team. I am more about what you are going to do for the team. What are we going to achieve together? Ronaldo will win you things but I am more about a team player than an individual player, so I’ll always go down that road.”

It is likely that debates about who is better between Messi and Ronaldo will continue beyond their retirement.