“I pick Ronaldo not because I played with him” - Patrice Evra on why he prefers Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi
Patrice Evra has said that he would pick Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate because of the Al Nassr star's work ethic. He made it clear that there was no bias in his pick, despite sharing the dressing room with the former Manchester United star.
Speaking on Sony Sports Network ahead of Portugal vs Czech Republic in EURO 2024, Evra admitted that Messi was naturally talented. However, he picks Ronaldo over the Argentine because of the way he trains and his determination to be the best. He said:
"Not many players can do what Cristiano Ronaldo does, apart from Lionel Messi. That's why a lot of people compare him to Messi. But for me, god gave Messi a gift and told him, 'go and play with this gift'.
"But Cristiano, what a professional. If you have training at 10, he'll show up at 8. We'll be in the shower, he'll still be on the pitch. I pick Ronaldo not because I played with him and he's my brother. I pick him because I'm in love with his work ethic."
Cristiano Ronaldo created history on Tuesday (June 18) when he took the pitch with Portugal. The former Real Madrid star became the first player to play in six EURO tournaments.
Patrice Evra has spoken about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Patrice Evra has spoken about Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo in the past and said similar things. He told Rio Ferdinand that the Argentine would have won 15 Ballons d'Or in his career if he had the same work ethic as the Portuguese star.
He said on the Manchester United legend's YouTube channel:
"I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time. It's not because he's our brother it's because I'm in love with work ethic. I feel like Messi, god just gave him a talent and Cristiano had to work for it. He had the talent but he had to work for it.
"If Messi had the same work ethic as Ronaldo, he would probably have like 15 Ballon d'Ors today. I'm just in love with people working hard so that's why I pick Ronaldo over Messi."
Ronaldo and Evra shared the dressing at Manchester United. They played 121 matches together under Sir Alex Ferguson, but the defender assisted the forward just twice.