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It has been more than 15 years since the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo started and debates about who is the better player still continue. There is no perfect answer to the question as the two forces of nature continue to defy their age and are still dominating the game.
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch's answer to this question has resurfaced and is perhaps the best possible conclusion to this debate.
In his column for the Daily Mail column back in April of 2018, soon after Ronaldo’s famous bicycle kick for Real Madrid against Juventus in the Champions League, Crouch wrote:
“He [Ronaldo] will not entertain the idea of losing and I am convinced that what Lionel Messi does for Barcelona drives on Ronaldo. How many times have you seen Messi score a hat-trick one night and then Ronaldo do the same 24 hours later? It can’t be a coincidence."
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“I never got to see Diego Maradona play, other than on TV. I have seen only clips of Johan Cruyff and Pele and read about the feats of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, but I honestly believe Ronaldo and Messi are the two greatest players who have ever breathed."
Crouch also urged fans to savour the two legends rather than arguing on who is better. The 41-year-old added:
“Really, though, the argument about who is better should stop. We do not know how much longer we are going to see them and we should just enjoy what they are doing without trying to make one of them second best."
“These players have provided countless memories for countless people, whether it was with a trick or a flick in a little game or a goal to win a trophy. Do not separate them. Savour them.”
Fans are lucky to witness Messi and Ronaldo at the same time
The fact that Ronaldo and Messi have as many as 12 Ballon d'Ors between themselves is a testament to the greatness the two have achieved in world football. The two icons have pushed each other over the years to achieve so much and dominate the game for so long.
With Ronaldo and Messi now aged 37 and 34, respectively, fans should look to embrace the two before they eventually hang up their boots. We have been lucky enough to witness these two and should savour them as Crouch suggested.
