"There's no need to explain much" - When Matthijs de Ligt picked between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt once chose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. However, the Dutchman named the Portuguese talisman as the best of his generation in a later interview, after playing alongside him in Juventus.
In a 2019 interview with then-teammate at Ajax Frenkie de Jong, De Ligt was asked whether he prefers Messi or Ronaldo. The defender did not hesitate to choose Lionel Messi at that time. Here's how the conversation went (via TY-10 on YouTube):
De Ligt: "I'll go with Messi."
De Jong: "Yes, I also choose Messi."
De Ligt: "We agree on that. There's no need to explain much..."
De Jong: "Messi is much better than CR7."
However, De Ligt seemed to have changed his opinion since then, especially after he joined Juventus in 2019 and played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. They shared the pitch 68 games. In a 2020 interview with the Italian paper Tuttosport, Matthijs De Ligt had said Ronaldo is the best of his generation.
"Cristiano is the best of his generation and a big example for young players. I try to improve myself by looking at him in training, as he trains with so much intensity," the Bayern Munich star had said.
However, De Ligt's opinion can be considered a standalone one on Ronaldo's influence. He was not specifically asked to pick between him and Lionel Messi in the 2020 interview.
When Virgil van Dijk credited Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for their 'unreal' numbers over the years
The Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate has been a raging one in football for the last two decades. Multiple stalwarts of the game, including many Dutch icons have been asked to share their opinion on the two greats of the sport.
In a 2021 interview with The Mirror, Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk was asked the toughest-ever opponent that he had faced. He picked Lionel Messi, although he credited both him and Cristiano Ronaldo for their dominating statistics over the years.
"I would say Lionel Messi, he’s still the best football player in the world. Him and Cristiano Ronaldo have been doing unreal numbers in the last decades and it’s incredible what they have achieved. But in this case I will choose Messi, we had a tough night at Barcelona [in 2019]," the Dutchman said.
Van Dijk was supposedly referring to Liverpool's 0-3 loss to Barcelona in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg. The match is well-remembered for a legendary performance from Messi, where he scored an insane free kick for Barca. However, the Reds incredibly won the second leg 4-0 and reached the final, beating Tottenham Hotspur to lift the trophy.