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As a footballing professional, it is impossible to evade the ever-present conundrum of picking between Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo and former Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi. It is a question that has been thrown in the face of most footballers, present and former, and the greatest coaches on the planet.
Every time someone chooses their preference from the two, it riles up the fans of the other individual, of which there are millions. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gave his verdict on the debate and revealed his preference between the Argentine and Ronaldo in 2018, which has now resurfaced.
The German was at a Q&A event conducted by LFCTV where he was quizzed regarding the same. The Reds boss narrated an anecdote to address the question and in doing so took a cheeky dig at the Manchester United striker. He said:
“I have only one selfie on my smartphone, that's with Messi. Cristiano was in the room as well...”
His remarks pretty much sum up his allegiance to Messi and will not be making a lot of Ronaldo fans happy when they revisit these. However, when it came to choosing the greatest football personality, the Liverpool boss ditched the two modern giants and expressed his admiration and awe for Brazilian legend Pele.
His father had told him that there would never be another like Pele and Klopp is very much in agreement with his old man's views. Klopp also told LFCTV about when he had the opportunity to meet the mythical figure.
“My father always told me, whatever people say in the future, Pele was the best. I met him actually, when I was a pundit at the World Cup in 2006. I'm not the type of guy who gets nervous but I was sweating like crazy in that moment."
Cristiano Ronaldo was on the triumphant Real Madrid team that delivered Liverpool their Champions League heartache in 2018 by defeating the Reds 3-1.
Manchester United and Ronaldo struggling to secure Champions League football next season
The Red Devils have had an extremely disappointing season and will go trophyless yet again. Their gamble to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim manager before he takes over the consultancy role next season has not worked. As a result, Manchester United are currently placed seventh in the points table after 31 games.
There is a real possibility that Ronaldo could be playing in the Europa League or Conference League next season and knowing the elite standards of the 37-year old, this is rather underwhelming. There has been some speculation around his future next season, but the striker is looking to stay put and see through his contract at Manchester United, which expires in 2023.
However, there could be a change of mind on the Portuguese's part if incoming head coach Erik ten Hag does not want him in his plans.
