Former Manchester United star Angel Di Maria has weighed in on the long-standing debate about who is the greatest footballer of all time, siding with Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo.
His comments came after Ronaldo recently claimed to be the greatest player of all time. Having played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid for four years and with Messi for both the Argentinian national team and at Paris Saint-Germain, Di Maria has a unique perspective on the matter.
In an interview with Argentine news outlet Infobae, the 37-year-old reflected on Ronaldo’s assertions but ultimately concluded that Messi’s achievements surpass those of his counterpart. “He [Ronaldo] always made these kind of remarks,” Di Maria said.
“He always tried to be the best, but he was unfortunately born in a generation where there was another player [Messi] who made everything he touched turn to gold.
“The reality is demonstrated in the numbers. One player won eight Ballon d’Or awards [Messi] while the other won five [Ronaldo]. Another key difference is that one has lifted the World Cup [Messi]. There are many differences between the two players. If one watches every minute of every match, [Messi] makes it look so easy, as if he were having a kickabout in his back garden.”
In an interview with Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, Ronaldo alluded to his strong relationship with his great rival but insisted he was the better player after he was asked if he was the greatest to play the game. “I think so, I honestly haven’t seen anyone better than me. You have to look at the numbers full stop,” he said.
“I believe I am the most complete player who has ever existed. It’s me. I do everything in football. I play well in terms of heading the ball, I’m good at free-kicks, I’m good with my left foot, I’m quick, I’m strong, I jump. I am the best player ever, I believe that.”
While the Al-Nassr star is edging toward 1,000 career goals, this isn’t the first instance of a former team-mate of Ronaldo siding with Messi in the famed discussion. Madrid’s all-time top scorer would have been no doubt displeased to hear that his former Los Blancos ally, James Rodriguez, also chose Messi when asked to pick a dream team-mate.
Ronaldo and Rodriguez shared the pitch at Real Madrid for three seasons from 2014 to 2017. Yet in a TikTok Q&A session, Rodriguez swiftly declared the World Cup winning hero as his preference.
Another of Ronaldo’s ex-team-mate’s, United icon Wayne Rooney, is also in the Messi camp. “I think Messi,” Rooney said in May 2024.
“I think he’s just the best ever. They are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game. For me, Messi has just got that little bit more extra flair, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk