Kobe Bryant is one of Basketball’s all-time greats. He was a machine on court – averaging slightly more than 25 points per game over his career and winning everything there is to win in the game with his beloved Los Angeles Lakers and team USA – and that makes him well placed to talk about the debate that has held the football world in thrall for over a decade... Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
This comes in the wake of Ronaldo winning his 4th Ballon d’Or that enabled him to pull up to just one behind Messi’s tally. In a couple of week’s time, one of the two is likely to go home with the BEST FIFA award, and that is likely to add even more spice to their epic rivalry. (Yes, Yes, Antoine Griezmann has also made the three-man shortlist, but come on...)
The Award will be presented in a gala ceremony on the 9th of January, in Zurich, and a host of sporting celebrities are expected to grace the occasion.
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When asked to choose, Kobe though came up with a brilliant answer –
"It's very difficult to decide which player is better,” said the 38-year-old Philadelphian. “It depends on which type of football you want. For tika-taka, I’ll stay with Messi, but if you want more aggressive play, then Ronaldo.”
Using the innate sporting ability that made him so good on the Basketball court, his answer clearly highlights the distinct playing styles of both players – his choice would purely be dictated by the style of play with which the team he is choosing for plays. For Barcelona’s passing game, Leo Messi is perfect, while nothing beats Ronaldo for Real Madrid’s aggressive counter-attacking style!
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Bryant’s love for football goes back a long way, as he grew up in Italy, where his father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant played basketball – and grew to love the great AC Milan team of the time. The man who won five NBA championships with the Lakers attended the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and the following year’s FIFA World Cup, during which he announced that football “is actually my favourite sport”.
A known Barcelona afficianado (and a huge fan of Ronaldinho), his answer also depicts how even fans can be neutral when it comes to this great debate.
