Patrice Evra believes Lionel Messi would have won 15 Ballon d’Or medals by now if he had the same ‘work ethic’ as his long-term adversary Cristiano Ronaldo.
For the past ten years, football fans have argued over who is the greatest player of all time—Messi or Ronaldo—around the globe.
But, Evra has made his views clear – arguing Ronaldo deserves the title since ‘God’ gave Messi his ‘gift’ while the Portugal international had to ‘work for it’.
Evra said the following on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel FIVE: ‘I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time. It’s not because he’s our brother it’s because I’m in love with work ethic.’
“I feel like Messi, god just gave him a talent and Ronaldo had to work for it. Despite having the potential, he had to put in the effort.”
The former United man said: “If Messi had the same work ethic as Cristiano Ronaldo, he would probably have like 15 Ballon d’Ors today. I’m just in love with people working hard so that’s why I pick Ronaldo over Messi.”
Given that Ronaldo was eliminated from the competition after losing to Morocco, several supporters believed the GOAT controversy had been resolved after Messi won the World Cup in Qatar.
Messi proved that even at the age of 35, he still maintained that winning attitude that has defined his fantastic career by scoring in each of Argentina’s knockout games. In a final against France, he also scored twice to win the championship.
Messi was hailed by both supporters and commentators, who shouted that the great argument was finally over. Ronaldo was no longer the topic of discussion; instead, Messi was being compared to Maradona and Pele as the greatest player of all time.
Evra, though, has reopened the discussion by asserting that Ronaldo has a better “work ethic” than his longtime opponent.
Patrice Evra
He started out as a forward but mostly played left back.
Evra led both Manchester United and the France team as captain.
Evra, the son of a diplomat, was born in Senegal and immigrated to Europe at the age of one.
Initially, Evra played for the Italian team Marsala. He joined Monza the next season, and he eventually came back to France to play for Nice, where he was converted into a full-back.
He joined Monaco in 2002 and was a member of the squad that won the UEFA Champions League in 2004.
Evra’s success with Monaco led to a transfer to Manchester United in January 2006, where he went on to win a number of trophies, including five Premier League championships and a UEFA Champions League.
He signed on with Italian club Juventus in 2014 before moving to Marseille in January 2017.
However, he was discharged from Marseille in November 2017 after receiving a seven-month suspension from UEFA competition for kicking a supporter during a UEFA Europa League match.
Evra ended his career as a professional football player in July 2019 after signing a brief contract with West Ham United in February 2018.
GOAT Debate
Currently, Ronaldo has 709 more club goals than Messi (701). However it’s crucial to keep in mind that Ronaldo has two more seasons of experience than the Argentine and presently plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Messi, meanwhile, is in the lead when it comes to assists. He has 299 registrations, whereas Ronaldo only has 203. So far this season, Messi has contributed 16 assists compared to Ronaldo’s four.
Messi has also appeared in more World Cup games and scored more goals in World Cup contests. Nonetheless, Ronaldo has played in and scored from more opportunities in the Champions League than any other player.
Last but not least, Messi has more individual honors and trophies than Ronaldo. Ronaldo, however, has achieved league success in three separate nations (England, Spain and Italy).
