![Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard and Cristiano Ronaldo in action](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 800 519"></svg>)
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard became the latest football figure to weigh in on the Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
The Portuguese and the Argentine have gone toe-to-toe for well over a decade now, battling for top honours in Spanish and European football, and individual awards. Between them, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won a staggering eleven Ballons d'Or, with ten of them coming in successive years until Luka Modric broke the duopoly in 2018.
Lampard has come up against both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during his playing career, but is yet to do so as a manager.
Chelsea legend Lampard discusses Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, reveals dream team of opponents
Speaking on who he prefers between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Chelsea head coach expressed;
"I'm gonna go [Lionel] Messi on this on pure, natural talent but what [Cristiano] Ronaldo has done has been absolutely incredible."
When asked about some of the toughest players he's come up against during his playing days, Lampard named two of Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi. The former Chelsea legend has come up against the Blaugrana on several occasions during his glorious playing career.
The 42-year-old explained;
"The two that I name when I say against is Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta at Barcelona. They were great players, they were kind of not the biggest and quite slight. It just shows it doesn't matter, because sometimes people think you have to be huge to be a footballer player. You don't."
Despite naming the legendary Catalan pair as two of the most formidable opponents he faced, Lampard didn't include either in his dream team of opponents faced. That honour was reserved for a few other players, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and others. The Blues coach revealed;
"It's [Manuel] Neuer, Rio [Ferdinand], Steven Gerrard, [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldinho, [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo."
Chelsea have endured a tricky start to their campaign under Lampard, having picked up just nine points out of a possible 18 in their first six games of the campaign.
The Blues' lack of a defensive structure has been a major concern under the Englishman, but he would be encouraged by the fact that Wednesday's UEFA Champions League win against Krasnodar was their fourth clean sheet in a span of five games.
Chelsare set to travel to Burnley at the weekend before hosting Rennes in the UCL during midweek.
Also read: 5 Greatest career achievements of Lionel Messi
Published 29 Oct 2020, 18:00 IST