"I am a playmaker" - When Kevin De Bruyne chose his ideal teammate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne recently stated that he would rather have Cristiano Ronaldo as his teammate than Lionel Messi.
Both Ronaldo and Messi are two of the standout players of this generation. De Bruyne stated that Messi is more of a creative player akin to him. That said, the Belgian ace believes Ronaldo is more lethal in terms of being a goalscorer.
While talking to SportBIBLE, here's what the Manchester City star stated:
"I would probably say Ronaldo because he’s more of a typical striker, Messi is still more of a playmaker. I am a playmaker, you can give me a striker."
While Messi's goalscoring prowess is tremendous, Cristiano Ronaldo is often the more reliable man for the big occasions. Hence, it is understandable why a supreme playmaker like the Belgian would want to have the Portuguese by his side.
The Belgian has scored one goal and provided eight assists for Manchester City so far this season. His playmaking skills have been phenomenal throughout his career.
De Bruyne has played 317 games for the Cityzens in his career, scoring 87 goals and providing 129 assists.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had contrasting starts to their season
Ronaldo and Messi haven't started their seasons in an identical manner for their clubs.
Messi has enjoyed a good start to his campaign with Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine has scored six goals and provided eight assists for the Parisians in 11 games across competitions this season.
Ronaldo, however, has been far from his best. In eight games for Manchester United, the mercurial Portuguese has managed to find the back of the net on only one occasion.
He was left out of the Red Devils' starting XI by Erik ten Hag in their last four Premier League games.
That said, former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra believes there will be a moment in the season when the Red Devils will need the Portuguese legend. Speaking to Betfair, the Frenchman said (h/t The Mirror):
"I understand the frustration of Cristiano Ronaldo, but also Ten Hag was like 'I'm going to start a new era, Ronaldo is still in my plan,' and I'm sure Cristiano Ronaldo is in his plan.
"Maybe, United need to suffer right now and they will need other players, but you will always need Cristiano Ronaldo, trust me, there will be a moment when we say thanks Cristiano, please stay, I'm convinced about that."