"He’s an absolute phenomenon" - When Miralem Pjanic commented about Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Former Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic once delivered an interesting comment about the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate. The Bosnian star praised the achievements of both players over the last two decades before going on to describe Ronaldo as a true athlete while labeling Messi as an alien.

The year was 2020. Miralem Pjanic was a Barcelona player at the time. It was the period when he had the privilege to play alongside Lionel Messi after arriving at the Camp Nou in a swap deal that saw Arthur Melo move to Juventus.

The 34-year-old told Julio Maldonado on his YouTube channel 'Mundo Maldini about the GOAT debate and delivered a classic response to the subject.

"With the passage of time, we will be able to value what these two players have achieved in these twenty years. They are incredible," he said in glowing remarks about the two icons.

Pjanic went on to provide a fitting description of the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, with Messi praised for his extraterrestrial abilities and Ronaldo for his incredible athletism.

He said about Ronaldo:

"As a person and a player he is spectacular. He's a true athlete who takes care of all the details."

About Messi, he said in the interview:

"He is an alien. He is an absolute phenomenon, capable of doing anything with the ball. Now I see Messi very focused and motivated at Barca and we have to help him in his game."

It's worth noting that before Pjanic linked up with Lionel Messi at Barcelona in 2020. He had already played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus for three years, starting from 2017. They won multiple titles together, including the Serie A title, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup.

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What's next for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Following an underwhelming outing with Portugal at Euro 2024 this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo kicked off his 2024-25 season in style. He scored an amazing goal to inspire Al-Nassr to a 2-0 victory over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Up next, Luis Castro's men will go head-to-head with Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal in the Super Cup final on Saturday (August 17). They then face Al Raed in their next league game, with Ronaldo expected to feature in this outing.

Meanwhile, fans will have to wait for some more time before witnessing Lionel Messi in action again. The Argentine continues his recovery from an ankle injury picked up in the 2024 Copa America final win over Colombia. He's yet to return to Inter Miami's attack.