“He could have done a bit more” - Lorik Cana picks better player among Barcelona icon Ronaldinho and Real Madrid legend Zidane
Albanian star Lorik Cana has picked up his preferred player between Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane and Barcelona Icon Ronaldinho. The pair are highly revered for their contribution to football at the two iconic clubs in the early 2000s.
Zidane and Ronaldinho both claimed World Cup glory with their nations in the 1998 and 2002 editions of the tournament respectively. Lorik, however, believes that Zidane made the better of his career despite his Brazilian counterpart having more raw talent.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, the Albanian who won 93 caps said:
“I think so [Zidane is better than Ronaldinho]. Ronaldinho was one of the most skilled guys ever. I remember him coming from Brazil, it was in the winter and I was just starting to train with the first team at 18 years old."
He continued, saying:
“I remember the first training session in the winter and it was snowing that day. He didn’t want to come out, but the guy, the talent, in training and game [was great]. He reached his full potential in Barcelona, but we could already see he was different. He is on his own league."
Lorik concluded, saying:
“But for everything what he did, Zizou also reached his maximum potential and I feel Ronaldinho could have done a bit more [with his talent].”
Zidane and Ronaldinho remain fondly remembered at Real Madrid and Barcelona and their exploits on the pitch continue to inspire young players.
Real Madrid and Barcelona to face each other in October for the first El Classico of the 2024-25 La Liga season
Eternal rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other for the first time on matchday 11 of the new La Liga season. The two legendary clubs will be keen to put on a fine display against each other as they will be the biggest challengers to league glory they will have.
Los Blancos have enjoyed the fixture more over the last 12 months, avoiding defeat to the Catalan side in competitive encounters last season en route to domestic and continental glory. Blaugrana will be keen to make amends in the new season with the Catalan side keen to return to the top of the table under Hansi Flick.
Real Madrid and Barcelona will first face each other at the MetLife Stadium in New York in a friendly game on August 2, where they will get a chance to size each other up.
According to a head-to-head provided by Fotmob, Los Blancos have won 20 while Blaugrana has won 22, and 10 games have ended in a draw in their last 52 encounters.