5 great players who picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably two of the best players to have graced the game. During an illustrious two-decade-long career, both have scored goals and won titles galore for club and country.
Ronaldo and Messi are the only players to have scored over 100 goals in the Champions League and win at least five Ballon d'Or awards. Both players moved clubs this summer - with Ronaldo returning to Manchester United and Messi moving to PSG.
Despite being on the wrong side of 30, both players have continued to deliver the goods. Recently, Messi led from the front in Argentina's triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign, scoring four goals and bagging five assists. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who won the Capocannoniere award last season, has become the most prolific scorer in international football this summer.
Over the years, many top players have either played with one or both these legends, or seen them from close quarters. On that note, here's a look at five such players who view Ronaldo as a better player than Messi:
#5 Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas is one of the finest goalkeepers to have graced the game. He won every major trophy during his legendary career.
The legendary Real Madrid goalkeeper had many a duel with Lionel Messi, who was then playing for Barcelona. Casillas also played five years with Cristiano Ronaldo at Madrid, winning a Champions League and La Liga title.
🧤 Iker Casillas made his Champions League debut 22 years ago today! 🥰
#UCL | @IkerCasillas https://t.co/OH9IJAHzoK
So it's not surprising that the most capped goalkeeper in Champions League history would pick Ronaldo as a better player than Messi. Casillas once told Cadena Cope in this regard:
"I'd choose Cristiano over Messi because he's a player who gives us so much every season and he's a player I spend time with every day. I know him, know who he is, know how he trains, know what he wants and where he wants to get to."
Ronaldo stayed on at Madrid after Casillas left in the summer of 2014. Meanwhile, Messi moved to PSG this summer after Barcelona failed to offer him a contract extension.
#4 Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to have played the game. Though he never played with Ronaldo, Zidane faced a young Messi during the latter years of his playing days at Real Madrid.
A decade later, Zidane was back in Madrid, this time as a manager. He led the club to an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League titles, with Ronaldo playing a key role in each triumph.
🗓 OTD in 2016 Zinedine Zidane was appointed Real Madrid manager for the first time!
He went on to win three consecutive Champions League titles 🤩🏆 https://t.co/KYSOYzGa0j
Unsurprisingly, the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner picked Ronaldo as the better player, calling the Portuguese the 'greatest of all time':
“Cristiano is the best. Messi is his rival and it's the rivalry everyone wants to see,” Zidane said. “But Ronaldo is phenomenal. There are no words to describe him. He is much better than me even though I had a great career. He's the greatest of all time.”
Ronaldo was one of the crown jewels of Zidane's star-studded Madrid team that won a plethora of big titles.