“It’s just stupid” – Jamie Carragher slams argument against his ‘best player’ in Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has slammed the notion of Lionel Messi needing to play in multiple leagues to prove he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jamie Carragher has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo is quite smart and tries to do the opposite of what Lionel Messi is doing. Speaking in the book Messi: The King of Camp Nou (via Caught Offside), Carragher said:

“Ronaldo’s quite clever. I think a lot of his moves have been on the back of ‘what can I do that’s different?’ He can say he’s won the league in all these countries, been the top scorer in all these countries and these are more strings to his bow. He probably does the opposite to what Messi does to try and paint himself as being slightly different and better."

Carragher compares Lionel Messi's time at Barcelona with that of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini's time at AC Milan. The 43-year-old pundit believes staying at one club for the majority of the career does not hinder the chances of becoming a great player. Carragher added:

“But listen, I don’t think of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini being any less of a defender because they never left AC Milan. So that’s not going to change my opinion with Lionel Messi not leaving Barcelona. I mean, why would you leave Barcelona?! It’s like saying to Messi ‘go and sign for Southampton.’ It’s just stupid, absolutely daft."

Lionel Messi did finally leave Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer of 2021. However, the seven-time Ballon d'Or is still unproven in the French league as he continues to adapt to life after Barcelona.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has made a better start to the 2021-22 season than Lionel Messi

Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo moved teams in the same transfer window earlier this year. However, it is quite clear that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a better time compared to his Argentine rival.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been Manchester United's talisman this season, something which cannot be said about Lionel Messi for PSG at present. The 36-year-old Portuguese forward has netted 12 goals in 17 appearances for Manchester United this season.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has struggled to find consistency in a PSG shirt. The 34-year-old forward has netted just six times in 14 appearances for the Parisian giants. However, Messi has scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League, which is just one fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo.