The greatest debate in the world of sports today is the comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both have had great football careers and no one can diminish their status.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been at the apex of the game for over a decade. This is a feat that no other duo has been able to accomplish.
The amazing part of the whole story is that some players have had the rare privilege of playing in the same teams with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi respectively.
Below are some of the players that have played with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi:
1. Angel Di Maria
Di Maria is one of the great players who have played with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and has even won trophies with them.
Di Maria is an argentine like Messi which means they have been playing together for a very long while. Also, while Ronaldo was in Madrid, he was a teammate of Di Maria.
Di Maria had this to say about the two players:
“It was a dream to have the possibility to play with [Wayne] Rooney, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Leo [Messi]… they were players that I used on the PlayStation and I would never have imagined I’d get to play with them. I used to watch them and then to have the opportunity to play with them was really nice. Leo is the best of the four, Cristiano is a monster and Neymar is simply a joy for football. He’s Brazilian and when he plays all he does is have fun.”
2. Paulo Dybala
The Argentine prince is another team mate of Lionel Messi and they have played together for their nation – Argentina. Dybala has also played against the little genius in the face off between Juventus and Barcelona. Dybala is a team mate of Ronaldo when he (Ronaldo) moved to Seria A.
Dybala had this to say when he spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi:
“It’s impossible to make a comparison between the two of them or say who is the best because they are at a level on a par with each other and well above everybody else and that has been the case for several years.”
3. Gerard Pique
Pique was Ronaldo’s teammate in Manchester United and saw firsthand what a goal-scoring machine the all-round striker was. He also had to defend against Ronaldo in El Classico matches which are some of the most competitive fixtures in the world. Gerard also saw the Argentine captain rise to fame and witnessed his mastery of the ball.
When asked what he thought of both players, Pique had this to say:
“I always said that Messi has some talent that no one has. I mean, he has the ball and his speed controlling the ball. The ball doesn’t go two metres far from his foot, it’s always there. It’s impossible to catch him, this talent I didn’t see from anyone. Cristiano Ronaldo is such a different player, they are very different. He is tall, strong, he’s really complete. He can do anything. He can do goals with the head, free-kicks, penalties, take one on one.
But for me it’s like Messi is not human but Cristiano is the best of the humans.”
4. Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is arguably the best defender of Real Madrid. When he was in the Santiago Bernabeu, he and Ronaldo were teammates. The whole world of football attests to the fact that they were great teammates. He handled the defense while Ronaldo took care of the attack. They won several trophies together.
On the other hand, Ramos has been Lionel Messi’s opponent for a long while when they were both in the Spanish La Liga. None should be more acquainted with Messi’s prowess at penetrating defenses than Ramos. They are now teammates in PSG.
He had this to say about both players:
“Leo Messi? We’ve known each other for a long time, as opponents. It’s a joy to have him on this [PSG] team. For me, he’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best.“
