"One player can mark and the other can monitor" - When Thiago Silva named the harder player to defend between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Thiago Silva once made a claim about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the Argentine is tougher to defend than the Portuguese superstar. The Brazilian added that it was not easy against the Al Nassr star, but was manageable with two players.

Speaking to ESPN in 2018, Silva weighed in on the difference in playing against Messi and Ronaldo. He said it was tough against both, but the Argentine was harder, as two players were not enough to stop him. Silva said:

"The small difference is that Messi, with the ball in a one-on-one or a two-on-one, is difficult to stop. With Ronaldo, I am not saying that it is easy, but one player can mark and the other can monitor -- doing that gives you more security at the back. However, Messi and Ronaldo are both players capable of incredible things -- like Neymar. I believe, though, that it is harder to defend against Messi than it is against Ronaldo."

Thiago Silva has played against Lionel Messi 13 times, won just twice, and lost eight games. Meanwhile, he has one win and two losses in seven matches against Cristiano Ronaldo.

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When Thiago Silva accused Lionel Messi of manipulating referees

Thiago Silva was not happy with Lionel Messi when they faced off in 2019. The then-PSG star accused the Barcelona legend of manipulating referees to get decisions in his favor during the match.

He said (via GOAL):

"He wanted to rule over the game. He kicked two people and the referee did nothing. I argued with the ref and he kept laughing. You have to put admiration to one side. He always looks to force the referee to give them free-kicks in dangerous areas, he always acts in that way. We spoke with some players who play in Spain and the same thing happens, he looks to control the game and the referee's decisions."

He added:

"In the Champions League he doesn't have that advantage because the referees are tougher. You don't see him trying to rule so much. There are referees that, because of their admiration for him, start to weigh in on his side. That we didn't have Neymar on our side was a disadvantage."

Thiago Silva played his last match for Chelsea on Sunday (May 19) and is now set to join Fluminense. Lionel Messi is doing well at Inter Miami but is currently dealing with a leg injury.