Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have inked their names on the list of the greatest players of all time through their incredible stats for both club and country.
The duo dominated the game for almost two decades, breaking records and leading their respective teams to success.
Despite the fact Cristiano Ronaldo is a very prolific player with good goal-scoring ability, a lot of football fans gave a nod to Lionel Messi as an overall player in all categories.
Apart from the fans, some great managers have chosen the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner over Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.
Below are those managers:
1. Pep Guardiola
The Manchester City manager has been a long-time admirer of Lionel Messi. The duo brought huge success to Barcelona from 2008 to 2012. Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi won four Ballon d’Or awards and 14 trophies.
When Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or in 2016, Guardiola made a strong remark, saying, “Messi is the best; he is definitely the best. He knows how to play, score, and make the other players play. He is always there.”
“With all respect to all the players, first to Cristiano Ronaldo. Congratulations to him on the award! I think Lionel Messi is on another level.”
2. Arsene Wenger
The former Arsenal manager saw Lionel Messi eliminate his club in the Champions League on April 6, 2010, with four goals scored by the Argentine.
In the post-match conference of the game, the legendary manager said, “Lionel Messi is the greatest player by distance.”
Apart from that, he also revealed Lionel Messi superiority when comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo. Wenger said, “Who is the best player in the world?” Lionel Messi. Who is the best player ever? Lionel Messi.”
3. Diego Simeone
Even though Cristiano Ronaldo had been a menace to Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, he decided to pick the Argentine captain ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Atletico Madrid would have won a couple of Champions Leagues, but Ronaldo’s brilliance has always been a nightmare for the Argentine manager.
In a WhatsApp leak of Simeone in 2018, the manager revealed Cristiano Ronaldo was better than Lionel Messi.
However, he totally changed his mind after the video, saying, “If I had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo, then I’d most likely choose Messi. Yes, I said Ronaldo on the video, but the conversation was between me and German Burgos, talking about football as everyone talks about it.”
4. Jurgen Klopp
The outgoing Liverpool manager saw the incredible skill and action of Lionel Messi in the first leg of the Champions League match against Barcelona on May 1, 2019, where Messi scored a brace.
Although, while he was speaking on a Question and Answer program in 2018, the manager revealed who he would rather have on his team.
Jurgen Klopp said, “I have only one selfie on my smartphone. That’s with Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the room as well. Messi is the greatest player of his lifetime.”
3. Jose Mourinho
The former Real Madrid manager saw the incredible style of Messi football for the first time in Spain, where Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-0 on November 29, 2010.
Mourinho revealed the fact that if the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has the ball against any player in a one-on-one situation, the player is dead.
In 2015, the Special one said “Messi is the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever had.”
