"Ronaldo can score hat-tricks for any team, not sure if Messi could," says Sir Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson and his former player, Cristiano Ronaldo
Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo

No one knows Cristiano Ronaldo better than his former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and according to the Scot, the Portuguese could be successful anywhere in the world unlike Lionel Messi, who Ferguson expects to struggle if moved away from Barcelona.

In an interview with BBC, Ferguson spoke to 1991 World Snooker Champion John Parrott as he expressed his thoughts on who the current best player in the game is, and not surprisingly, the 73-year-old picked his former protégé over the Argentine forward.

Not sure if Messi could do it

"Ronaldo is tough," Ferguson said. "People say 'who is the player in the world' and plenty of people quite rightly say Messi. You can't dispute that opinion. But the thing about Ronaldo... Ronaldo could play for Millwall, QPR, Doncaster Rovers or anyone and he'd score a hat-trick. I'm not sure Messi could do it.”

"Ronaldo's got two feet, he's quick, he's good in the air and he's brave, though Messi's brave too of course. I just think Messi is a Barcelona player," he added.

Ronaldo the most improved player at United

When asked who the most improved player at Manchester United was, Ferguson had a similar answer.

"Ronaldo is the biggest improvement I ever had at Manchester United really because he came as a young skinny kid at 17," he said. "And yes, he had stuff such as diving which people used to criticise him but, once he got out on the training field, he was fantastic.”

"The most important thing for a great player is decision-making and that improved over Ronaldo's time at Old Trafford. Him and Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, you have to say, are the best three players I ever had. Bryan Robson and Roy Keane and Eric Cantona were great players, too, but not [at the same level]."

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Edited by Staff Editor