"I had more fun with Ronaldo than Messi" - Former Barcelona star makes bold claim after playing with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Former Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic recently made a bold claim, saying he preferred playing with Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi.
Pjanic played the bulk of his career for Serie A giants Roma and Juventus. During his time with the Old Lady, the 33-year-old played 77 games alongside Cristiano Ronaldo across two seasons between 2018 and 2020.
The pair enjoyed plenty of success at Juventus, winning three trophies, including two Serie A titles. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international then joined Barcelona in the summer of 2020 in a €60 million deal.
Despite being able to play alongside Lionel Messi, Pjanic's stint with the Blaugrana outfit was rather unsuccessful. He made 30 appearances during the 2020-21 season, with just 13 starts, registering zero goal contributions.
Pjanic recently compared the two superstars and said in an interview with O Jogo (via @TheNassrZone on X):
"I talk a lot with Cristiano Ronaldo. I have many memories with him, he is a great footballer. He's the best I've ever played with. He is among the two, three strongest players in history."
He added:
"I was lucky enough to play with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and it's hard to say who is stronger. However, I had more fun with Ronaldo than Messi.”
Pjanic left Barcelona to join UAE Pro League club Sharjah FC in 2022 where he still plays to this day.
"The rivalry is over" - Cristiano Ronaldo recently addressed his rivalry with Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo addressed his longtime rivalry with Lionel Messi last month while on international duty, admitting that the battle between the two superstars is now over.
Ronaldo and Messi have fiercely contested the GOAT debate for over a decade, dominating football and winning a grand total of 12 Ballons d'Or between them. While many fans continue to keep the rivalry going on social media and in stadiums, the Portugal ace said (via NBC Sports):
"The rivalry is over. It was good, a healthy rivalry that spectators liked a lot. Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to hate Messi or vice-versa because they’re both very good. They changed the history of football, and they keep on doing it."
He added:
"...The rivalry, I don’t see things like that. I’ve already said, we’ve shared the stage for 15 years and we ended up being, I wouldn’t say friends, because I never dined with him, but we are professional colleagues and we respect each other.”
Ronaldo has had an excellent start to the season for Al-Nassr, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in 12 appearances across all competitions. Messi has also done well since joining Inter Miami this summer, netting 11 goals and registering five assists in 14 appearances in total.