"Without a doubt" - When Diego Simeone named his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi 

Back in 2018, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone made his choice in the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He was speaking to his assistant coach German Burgos when he made his claim.

The conversation, which got leaked at the time, with Simeone picking Messi over Ronaldo. It took place during the 2018 World Cup, when Argentina suffered a shocking 3-0 loss to Croatia, as the Argentine playmaker was not at his best.

However, it did little to dissuade the Atletico manager from choosing his compatriot. Simeone told Burgos (via AllFootball):

"Messi is very good, but he's very good because he's accompanied by fantastic players [at Barça].

Later, Simeone was publicly asked about his view on the two legends. He responded, saying:

"I'd choose Messi [over Ronaldo], without a doubt. When I said what I did about Messi and Ronaldo, I wasn't talking about who is the best player in the world. I was saying that in a team of average players, Ronaldo would probably be a better fit. But, when surrounded by top players, Messi is the best in the world."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are easily two of the biggest superstars the world of football has ever seen. However, they have both left Europe, with Ronaldo now playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Lionel Messi representing Inter Miami in the USA.

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Lionel Messi's former national teammate picks Argentine playmaker over Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi's former national teammate Angel di Maria has picked him over Cristiano Ronaldo. This is despite Di Maria playing alongside the legendary Portuguese striker at Real Madrid for four years.

The Benfica winger believes that the "reality is shown in numbers" when comparing Messi and Ronaldo. He said to InfoBae (via GOAL):

"The reality is shown in numbers. One has eight Ballons d'Or, the other five. There is a very big difference. Being a world champion is another very big difference, having two Copa Americas. There are many differences, many."

He also stated that Ronaldo was born "at a bad time:"

"I was with him [Ronaldo] for four years. It was always like that. He always made those statements, he always tried to be the best, but well, he was born in a generation, just at a bad time, because another one was born who was touched by the magic wand [Messi]."

Indeed, Lionel Messi has won more Ballon d'Or awards than Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary Argentine also led his country to win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.