“I am more about what you are going to do for the team” – Steven Gerrard explains his choice in Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has named who he believes is the better player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The current Aston Villa manager was questioned by former England teammate Gary Neville on the Overlap YouTube channel about who he believes is the greatest player of all time.
Gerrard replied almost instantly, saying:
“Lionel Messi for me"
@SkyBet]Greatest player of all time?
Steven Gerrard: “Lionel Messi for me.”
[🎥 @SkyBet] https://t.co/7oaaASKLpN
The former Reds captain also praised Manchester United forward Ronaldo, but went on to explain his reasons for picking the Argentinian forward. He added:
"I'm someone who'd not say a derogatory thing about Ronaldo because he's a phenomenon.
"They're the two in my era that were just...when you're a footballer yourself and you've done it yourself, the numbers are just.. I'm not sure who's going to do that again, I'm not sure that's going to happen again.”
Gerrard played against Ronaldo on plenty of occasions during the Portuguese superstar's first spell at Old Trafford. The now 37 year-old is the most recent Premier League player to win the Ballon d'Or, back in 2008.
Ronaldo relies on tap-in whereas Messi relies on beautiful goals for scoring😬 https://t.co/h5IHzw1kGV
Gerrard would pick Messi over Ronaldo in dream five-a-side team
The legendary midfielder appeared last month on 'The Greatest Game with Jamie Carragher' podcast in March. His former Reds teammate asked for the 41-year-old's fantasy five-a-side team.
Gerrard again picked the Argentine instead of Ronaldo, as per GiveMeSport:
"There are certain players who are on a different level to anyone else out there, Messi and Ronaldo.
“But Ronaldo doesn’t get in my team. I am more about what you are going to do for the team. What are we going to achieve together? Ronaldo will win you things but I am more about a team player than an individual player, so I’ll always go down that road.”
The Villa boss clarified his comments about the United forward. The Englishman stated that he believed Ronaldo's selfish streak was a positive trait, as his goalscoring instincts were unrivaled.
Ronaldo's goal against Tottenham in March now means he holds a record number of recognized goals in men's professional football, with a staggering 807 strikes to his name.
With twelve Ballons d'Ors between them, Ronaldo and Messi are undoubtedly two of the very best to ever play the game. The debate as to who is the best player will possibly rage on forever.
Today’s kids have no idea about the number of careers Cristiano Ronaldo ended.
Here’s a gimpse..
https://t.co/54Ac9fPIZ2