That was kind of jaw-dropping" - When Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate named Lionel Messi as the best player in the world
Back in 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-Manchester United teammate Jadon Sancho named Lionel Messi as the best player in the world, while also praising Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Englishman was asked by SoccerBible about players that left him starstruck on the pitch.
"Messi, Mbappe, Neymar - that was kind of jaw-dropping [shaking their hands for the first time before a match]. Messi just speaks for itself. Best player in the world," Sancho said.
Sancho also praised Mbappe for winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with France.
"Mbappe's near me in age, but what he's done, you have to respect it. Won the World Cup at such a young age, carried the team... hats off to him. That's a great player right there. And obviously Neymar, I look up to him. I see me as him. I relate to what he does on the pitch," the Englishman noted.
Jadon Sancho returned to his former club, Borussia Dortmund, on a six-month loan deal from Manchester United in the January window of the 2023-24 season. He had joined the Red Devils in 2021 after previously spending three seasons at Signal Iduna Park.
When Gareth Bale chose Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi as the more complete player
Former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale had chosen his ex-teammate Ronaldo over Lionel Messi while naming the more all-round player in football. During his time playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bale said he found Cristiano to be a more complete player compared to Messi.
“For me, personally, I’d say Ronaldo [is a more complete player]. He’s got the whole package. He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s pacey, can head the ball, strike the ball. Obviously, you can’t say anything bad about Messi, but for the all-round complete footballer, I’d say Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. (via SPORTBible)
However, ahead of last year's UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, Bale named Lionel Messi as the best player to have won the competition.
“Err, Messi.” he had said (via SPORTbible).
Ahead of this season's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Bale once again chose Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi while choosing his favorite UCL legend in an interview with TNT Sports.
Bale's interview featured a game where he had to choose one player over the other and finally reach the last stage to pick his favorite legend of the Champions League. In one of the stages, he chose Cristiano over Messi but finally landed on his own name as the competition's ultimate GOAT.