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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have inked their names on the list of football's all-time greats through their incredible exploits with club and country. The duo have dominated the sport over the last two decades, breaking record after record and leading their teams from glory to glory.
Given their extra-terrestial qualities, it is only natural that these iconic players are constantly compared with each other. In fact, the debate over who the better player is among the duo promises to go on for many years. Although Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the most prolific goalscorer in history, many football lovers give the nod to Lionel Messi due to his all-round contribution to the game.
Apart from fans, some great managers have also chosen the Argentine superstar over his Portuguese counterpart in recent years. Below, we take a look at five of them.
#5 Fabio Capello
Former AC Milan and Juventus manager Fabio Capello has never hidden his preference for Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. The Italian has always claimed that Leo's natural talent gives him the edge over his eternal rival.
Capello answered this question during an interview in 2019 and here's what he had to say: “Ronaldo’s an extraordinary footballer, but Messi is a genius."
"There are three geniuses in football: Pele, Maradona and Messi. Period. Ronaldo is very strong as he lets you win everything, but Messi is a genius and something else."
"I faced Messi when he was 16 years old and I was amazed. He did the same things he does today but 20 years younger because he was born a genius.
"He invents things that others don’t see. Ronaldo has made himself a champion, but not a genius.”
#4 Joachim Low
The manager, who led Germany to beat Lionel Messi's Argentina to the World Cup trophy in 2014, also picked the former Barcelona captain. Joachim Low wasted no time in stating his preference when he was asked by Bild to pick one among the legendary duo in 2018.
"I would stick with Messi," the German replied.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is sensational, a very good professional, an incredible goalscoring machine for many years, but Messi is the most complete player I have seen.
"On top of scoring goals, he's a genius who provides 30 to 40 assists every season for 10 years, as well as scoring 50 or so goals. The speed that he eludes rivals at makes him uncatchable, and he can leave eight or nine players behind him."
#3 Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp surely knows what it feels like to face Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His team faced the duo just a few years ago and it was the Argentine who staged an incredible show.
Leo bagged two goals and one assist to inspire Barcelona to a 3-0 victory over the Reds at Camp Nou in the 2018/2019 Champions League semifinals. His second goal of the night was an incredible long-range free-kick that unbelievably crashed into the top corner of the net.
In the previous season, Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the final of the same tournament. Although the Spanish giants won, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't have much impact, with a Gareth Bale brace and Karim Benzema strike deciding the fate of the encounter.
No wonder when Klopp was asked to pick one player among the duo during a Q&A in 2018, he simply replied:
“I have only one selfie on my smartphone. That’s with Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the room as well…”
#2 Diego Simeone
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone needs no explanation from anyone about Lionel Messi's greatness. The tactician has suffered from the genius of the playmaker several times while he was still in La Liga.
Simeone also offered his thoughts on the eternal debate concerning who the better player is between Leo and Cristiano Ronaldo. Addressing a leaked Whatsapp video of himself in 2018, the Atletico boss clarified:
"If I had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo then I'd most likely choose Messi. Yes I said [Ronaldo] on the video, but the conversation was between me and [Atleti assistant] German Burgos, talking about football as everyone talks about it."
"When I talked about Messi and Ronaldo it wasn't from the perspective of who is the best in the world. I just meant that if you have the chance to sign one of them for a normal club, with normal players, Ronaldo would probably fit in better. But with Messi, surrounded by great players, Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo."
#1 Pep Guardiola
There's no better manager to talk about Lionel Messi's greatness than Pep Guardiola. The duo worked together at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, enjoying lots of success and playing arguably the most beautiful brand of football ever witnessed.
Leo won four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards under Pep's guidance as well as a whopping 14 trophies. As anyone would expect, the now-Manchester City manager believes the Argentine has no rivals - not even Cristiano Ronaldo.
Guardiola found the right time to make his fearless judgment. Shortly after Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or, the Spaniard made a strong remark:
"Messi is the best, he is definitely the best. He knows how to play, score and make the other players play. He is always there."
"With all respect to all the players, first to Cristiano Ronaldo -- congratulations to him for the award -- I think Lionel Messi is on another level."
