“If he is in a good mood or is having a good day you cannot stop him” – Antonio Rudiger’s ‘honest opinion’ while choosing between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi resurfaces
The debate over who is the better player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is never-ending. Many players and pundits have had their say about who the better is, and recently, Antonio Rudiger's words about the duo have resurfaced.
The Real Madrid defender spoke to Sky Sports back in 2020, while he was still a Chelsea player, and shared his opinion (via The Sun):
"The next two stand out, they are in a different world, they are different quality. When you're playing against Messi, the feeling you have is that it's just up to him, if he is in a good mood or is having a good day you cannot stop him."
He added:
"That is my honest opinion. The same applies with Ronaldo. They have two different ways of playing, one to try and score goals and the other is enjoying his football."
One day Cristiano Ronaldo would like to have dinner with Lionel Messi. https://t.co/x0Em9uqkz6
The former Chelsea centre-half eventually shared his pick of the duo, stating:
"If I had to pick one, it would be Messi. Is he the best ever? I didn't see Pele or Diego Maradona playing because that was not my time, so it's Messi."
Having played against both legendary players, Rudiger has a clear personal view about who is better. However, his words about the Argentine won't sit well with Real Madrid fans, who view the Portuguese forward as a club legend.
He is Los Blancos' all-time top scorer, scoring 450 goals in 438 matches across all competitions.
Neymar Jr. surpasses a record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Neymar Jr. was once widely tipped to compete with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest stars in football.
Although he arguably fell behind in that race, he recently surpassed the one record held by the phenomenal pair. The Brazilian has been in fantastic form recently, playing an important role for club and country. He recently contributed to a goal in 16 consecutive matches at both levels.
The previous record for consecutive goal involvents was jointly held by the legendary duo and stood at 15 games. Neymar equaled the record for Paris Saint-Germain's game against Monaco with his spot kick. He then surpassed it with his performance in the Parisians' 3-0 win over Toulouse yesterday (2 September).
Neymar has now scored and assisted in 16 consecutive matches for both club and country.
He overtakes Messi and Ronaldo, who both managed to do it for 15 games in a row. https://t.co/R62yUmE9z5
Neymar continues to be in fine form this season, with the Brazilian already contributing nine goals and six assists in six matches.
He will hope his form continues for the rest of the season. The former Barcelona man will be hoping to lead PSG to Champions League glory come the end of the season.
With Messi and Ronaldo now in the twilight of their careers, Neymar will hope that he can establish himself in the backdrop of their waning powers.
PSG and Brazil will nonetheless be glad that he is currently firing on all cylinders.