Ex-Barcelona star Arthur details key differences between former teammates Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo has pointed out the differences between football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian hailed both players, stating that Ronaldo is an "incredible finisher" while Messi can do practically everything.
Arthur Melo is one of the few players who have had the privilege to play alongside both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He shared the locker room with Lionel Messi at Barcelona and played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
In an interview with ESPN, the 28-year-old spoke about the abilities of both players.
''I think Cristiano is a player who plays closer to the goal. He has an incredible finish, he moves very well to receive passes between the lines, he finishes with his right, left and with his head. The ball hits him and it's a goal... He has an incredible ability to score goals," Arthur said.
"And Messi can do practically everything. He is a player with a very strong creative capacity. The ease with which he finds teammates and leaves them in front of goal is incredible. He gets the ball, dribbles past three, and scores the goal. On the pitch, he sees things that only he sees, no one else sees... Because he makes a pass, a pass between the lines, that no one is expecting."
Arthur added that having had the opportunity to play alongside the two modern greats is an honor.
''Of the two I've seen play, they are the best. And they are certainly among the best in history. They are two people I had the pleasure of working with and I always had a great connection off the field, they always helped me. I take with me the honor of having played alongside them," he said.
The Brazilian midfielder also talked about the off-field personalities of both players.
''Messi is a really good guy off the field. I think that people don't know much about him in his personal life, but he's a really fun guy. He's also really simple, he tries to help everyone, he tries to help the younger ones. In some interviews, he spoke well of me, right? So, for me, that was a really important thing, it gave me confidence, it made me feel like I was really part of the team. I only have good things to say about him,'' Arthur said.
''Cristiano really likes Brazilian music. He really likes nutrition, he has a doctor he used to see, who always invited him to go to Brazil. He really likes Brazil, he always speaks well, he uses some Brazilian slang."
Arthur Melo played with Lionel Messi for two seasons, 2018 to 2020, and shared the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo between September 2020 and August 2021. He played a total of 60 matches with the Argentine, and they won the La Liga title and the Spanish Cup. He shared the pitch with Ronaldo on 25 occasions, winning the Supercopa Italiana and Coppa Italia during their time together in Italy.
Former Barcelona star believes Lionel Messi was more 'team-focused' than Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique believes Lionel Messi was more concerned with the team's success, while Cristiano Ronaldo was more focused on scoring goals.
Just like Arthur Melo, Pique also played with both Messi and Ronaldo. He played with Ronaldo at Manchester United and shared the locker room with Messi at Barcelona. Pique said (via Mirror):
"He was very team-focused even though he was getting front page headlines in the newspapers. He was very close with all of us and just focused on winning titles like the Champions League. He was the best, and he was winning the Ballon d’Or. It wasn’t something that was a priority for him."
The Spanish former defender added that Ronaldo switched from a winger to a striker when he joined Real Madrid to help him elevate his football status. He added:
"But I assumed that he realized that at Real Madrid, if you want to be the best, you have to score a lot of goals."
Lionel Messi currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami while Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.