Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s skills feature as Nacho Fernandez builds his perfect footballer

Spanish defender Nacho Fernandez has built his perfect footballer, featuring the skills of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The former Real Madrid defender is well acquainted with the legendary duo after spending a good part of his career playing either with or against them.

Nacho, a six-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid, shared the Los Blancos dressing room with Ronaldo during his nine years in the Spanish capital. During this time, he often faced Argentine maestro Messi, who turned out for their arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clasico.

In a recent interview with Marca, Nacho was asked to build his perfect footballer and he picked aspects of the two icons, among others.

When asked about the perfect player's right leg, he picked Cristiano Ronaldo, while for the left leg, Nacho picked Messi. He further named Kylian Mbappe for speed, Vinicius Junior for magic, Daniel Carvajal for aggressiveness, Karim Benzema for goals, and picked himself for personality.

Lionel Messi is the only player selected by the Spaniard who does not have an affiliation with Real Madrid, the club Nacho played 364 games for. Other players whose skills feature are his La Roja teammate Dani Carvajal, fellow Los Blancos legend Karim Benzema, Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, and new Madridista Kylian Mbappe.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi: Career Rundown

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the best players to ever play football, with the pair enjoying a longevity that is unlikely to be replicated. The legendary duo has scored 1494 club goals between them and 238 goals for their countries, making them two of the best of all time, if the 13 Ballon d'Or's they share were not confirmation enough.

Ronaldo is famed for his lethal right foot, physicality, and winning mentality that has seen him become the most prolific goalscorer in recorded football. The Portuguese legend has scored 130 goals for his country and 759 club goals in his career for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr. He has five Ballon d'Or awards to his time, the second most of any player in history.

Messi is no less prolific, scoring 108 goals for Argentina while pitching in with 735 club goals for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami. The legendary Argentine, famed for his lethal left foot, has won every major award in football and is the reigning FIFA World Cup winner. La Pulga has won the most Ballon d'Or awards ever — eight.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are unlikely to be replaced in the pantheon of football discourse anytime soon due to their legendary feats. The duo are now in the twilight of their illustrious careers but will remain talked about by football fans long into the future.