"Perhaps more complete" - When Joshua Kimmich compared Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's playing styles
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remain the biggest figures in the football world. The two superstars have been pitted against each other for more than a decade now.
With the duo still determined to outpace each other, old comments from Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich comparing them have resurfaced online.
His comments came prior to the Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in 2018. Joshua Kimmich, who was preparing to come up against Cristiano Ronaldo at the time, spent a few minutes comparing the Portuguese superstar to his eternal rival Lionel Messi.
🗣Joshua Kimmich:
“Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are different type of players. Ronaldo is more complete. You can only turn off Ronaldo as a whole team. He is a goal machine.” https://t.co/asUhtkSHDw
The German midfielder stated that the two legendary footballers have different playing styles while presenting Ronaldo as a more complete player.
"When it comes to goal quotas, Ronaldo is in the lead," he told Bild. "Especially with regards to the goals in the Champions League. Messi is a completely different type of player. Ronaldo is perhaps more complete in terms of skills themselves."
The Bayern Munich midfielder, however, refused to comment on who is better between the duo. Instead, he expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to witness the greatness of the two players.
He continued:
"Messi is more of a dribbler, Ronaldo the final player. I cannot say this one or that one [is better]. I am glad that I am allowed to witness both.
Joshua Kimmich on Messi and Ronaldo:
🗣 "It's so impressive, almost unbelievable, how you can maintain this level for over 15 years.
"I'd like to see what they do every day.” [Bild]
🐐🐐 https://t.co/6sLWEJ6C4W
"Such a player as Ronaldo, you can only turn off as a whole team anyway. He is a goal machine, which has an insane goal quota. We have to make sure that he cannot continue his run," the German added.
How Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared last season
The 2021-22 campaign wasn't the best for the two superstars but they still managed to conclude with some positives. Lionel Messi, despite his slow start to life at Paris Saint-Germain, managed to bag 11 goals and 15 assists across all competitions and also claimed the Ligue 1 title.
Cristiano Ronaldo endured a trophyless spell at Manchester United. However, the Portuguese still proved his worth by recording 24 goals and three assists to his name in 38 games across competitions. He also won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award at United for his performances last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Manchester United's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 🏆 https://t.co/CxHTjTALAP