"He doesn't have tricks up his sleeve" - When Arjen Robben explained why Lionel Messi was better than Cristiano Ronaldo and others

Arjen Robben outlined why Lionel Messi was better than Cristiano Ronaldo and other top stars of his generation last year. The Argentine is widely considered one of the greatest players to have ever graced the beautiful game.

La Pulga won everything on offer for Barcelona, while also finding success with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Miami. Lionel Messi also won multiple trophies with Argentina, including the coveted FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, is the only active player to have scored more than 900 goals in his career. The Portuguese superstar has also won countless trophies with club and country in his career.

Speaking to TOUZANI YouTube channel last year, Robben insisted that Lionel Messi's ability to do everything quicker made him great.

"You mentioned a few really big names who are very good at it. When I talk about it with the guys. The best ever. The best. Truly the absolute absolute absolute best ever, I always ask 'does he use tricks?'" said Robben.

He continued:

"And then the answer is no. Messi of course, he doesn't have tricks up his sleeve. He just does everything quickly. He has control, speed, and agility."

Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Al-Nassr remains uncertain, with his contract due to expire at the end of next month.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo face Lionel Messi at the FIFA Club World Cup?

Cristiano Ronaldo will be desperate to feature at this month's FIFA Club World Cup, according to former Chelsea defender William Gallas. Al-Nassr haven't qualified for the tournament, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently suggested that the Portuguese superstar could feature for a different team.

There are reports that the player could agree on a short-term deal with one of the tournament's participants. Speaking to Prime Casino as cited by GOAL, however, Gallas remained unsure if Ronaldo would make it to the tournament.

“So to get Ronaldo over there this summer, even on a short-term move to another club, it would be a marketing coup. Of course, on the pitch, Ronaldo is still a monster, and perhaps he won’t want to miss out if Lionel Messi is there with Inter Miami," said Gallas.

He continued:

“The fans will want to see them, it would be huge to see them both in that competition, but I’m not convinced they will be able to make it happen.”

Inter Miami are among the 32 teams that have qualified for the tournament.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava