“The hardest player I’ve ever faced” - 2023 Ballon d’Or nominee who shares close bond with Cristiano Ronaldo hails Lionel Messi

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as the hardest player he has ever faced. The Al Hilal star, who was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, highlighted how the Argentine surprised goalkeepers with a sudden appearance in the box and scored.

Speaking in a recent interview, Bounou claimed that he was amazed by Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo while playing in La Liga. However, he always found it hard to face Lionel Messi. He was quoted by BT3 as saying:

"Suarez was amazing, Benzema is good and Cristiano is good. And Messi did a lot against me. Messi, the hardest player I've ever faced, suddenly appeared in the area and put the ball into my net."

The goalkeeper added that the football world would miss Messi when he retires. He believes that there are no players who can get close to the Argentine, saying:

"Football has lost a lot of its quirks and techniques. I don't want to say that it no longer attracts viewers, but there is no longer a passion to see a specific player as there was before with Messi. We will miss Messi after two years, and we will not have players like him."

Bounou has faced Lionel Messi in just six matches but ended up on the losing side thrice and won just once. He has conceded 13 goals in those games and kept a clean sheet once.

Yassine Bounou claims Lionel Messi is above Cristiano Ronaldo

Reports in Essentially Sports claim that Yassine Bounou shares a special relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the Moroccan goalkeeper has picked Lionel Messi as the best player he has seen.

He was talking to GOAL in 2021 when he named the Argentine as a player on a different level to others. He said:

"In the Spanish league, we are fortunate enough to have great players. I have had to face [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and lots of great players, really good forwards and strikers. So, when you have these players [Messi and Ronaldo] in front of you, you really have to be ready to see what can happen. Messi is on a completely different level, he has been the best for many years, and is the an exceptional player in this era of the sport."

As per transfermarkt, Bounou has faced Cristiano Ronaldo thrice and won twice. He has kept a clean sheet once - in the quarterfinal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.