“Can Ronaldo do that?” – When Rio Ferdinand recalled what convinced Thierry Henry to believe Lionel Messi is ‘different’ to everyone
Rio Ferdinand once brought up his conversation with Thierry Henry and why he believed Lionel Messi was different to everyone, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
The legendary striker brought up the story about a time when Messi got angry in training. Heny said that Messi dribbled through the entire Barcelona team in training to score (via Sport BIBLE):
"So when the ball went back to his goalkeeper, he (Messi) ran back and demanded the ball. The goalkeeper rolled him the ball, and Messi then proceeded to run through the entire team and score in anger."
Ferdinand added:
"Thierry said that was what he used to do in the playground at school. I did stuff like that too against little kids. But he (Messi) did it against some of the best in the world: Yaya Toure, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets. And it wasn't just that one time. He did it a couple of times."
He added:
"Thierry said: 'Can Ronaldo do that?' I said, 'Well, I've never seen him do that.' Thierry played with Zidane and Ronaldinho, but they never did anything like that. He said: 'That's when I knew Messi was different to anyone we've ever seen'."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have their unique qualities
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest players to ever live. While they are similar in their match-winning abilities, both are different in many aspects.
The Portuguese was a brilliant dribbler during the earlier stages of his career, but it's difficult to argue that Lionel Messi is a better dribbler. The Argentine's lowers centre of gravity due to his smaller frame allows him to move in a unique way. While he uses body feints, Messi mostly depends on his footwork and skills.
The Al-Nassr attacker, meanwhile, is undoubtedly a better shooter than Messi. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is a great hitter of the ball in his own right, but his Portuguese counterpart has scored a wider variety of long-rangers.
Both players have entertained with their abilities. As they are both in the twilight of their careers, fans should enjoy as long as the duo are still active.