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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to divide opinion with their iconic performances, incredible milestones, records, and clutch moments. Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has joined the fray on who's the better player between the duo.
Alderweireld is one of the few players who have had the privilege to face both Messi and Ronaldo, as well as many other elite players in club and international football over the years. Asked to name the best player he has come up against in his career, the Belgian took the name of Paris Saint-Germain maestro Messi.
“Messi," he said in his recent podcast as he recalled facing the Argentine when Tottenham clashed with Barcelona in the Champions League back in 2018. "I usually read the play on the field, and often I succeed. But Messi…ooh. One night at Wembley when we lost 4-2 against Barcelona (with Tottenham) he was unprecedented …really unprecedented."
He added:
“You can’t get a grip on him. Everything he does, he does it just that little faster than you. He does this, then he does that, it goes so fast. I really had a feeling I couldn’t do anything against him.”
Alderweireld added that Messi's unpredictability on the pitch, coupled with his pace, ball control and other qualities make him a difficult opponent to cope with.
“That’s the thing, you don’t know what he’s going to do," he continued. "That’s the special thing, you can’t train for that. You try to get in duels with him. He looks like a slender guy, so you try to get physical. But he’s not slender at all; if you look at his thighs you think…wow. He is so fast. The quality, the ball control, It's not normal.”
Alderweireld also said that the Argentine is better than his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, saying:
“Yeah, I played against Ronaldo many times. Of course his numbers don’t lie, but Messi was the best, because he is simply elusive. You can’t get hold of him.”
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo set for 2022 FIFA World Cup
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be representing their respective nations in the FIFA World Cup, which is set to kick off in Qatar next month. Knowing quite well that this could be their final appearance in the quadrennial tournament, the two superstars will be motivated to give their all in Qatar.
Messi was electric with Argentina during the recent international break, scoring four goals in two games. Ronaldo, meanwhile, couldn't help Portugal avoid relegation in the UEFA Nations League, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Spain.
