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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has chosen Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo and feels his compatriot would be better than the Portuguese star with great players around him.
Simeone hasn’t had the chance to manage either player but has faced them plenty of times while managing Atletico Madrid.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are so often the subject of discussion, even among legendary players of the past. Ex-players and managers have often been asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and Simeone too was quizzed about the matter.
Simeone admitted in 2018 that he would choose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo and explained that the Barcelona star surrounded by great players around him is a terrifying proposition.
“If I had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo then most likely I would choose Messi,” he said.
“If you have the chance to sign one of them for a normal club, with normal players, Ronaldo would probably fit in better.
“But with Messi, surrounded by great players, Messi is better than Ronaldo.”
Simeone’s comments on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate make for interesting reading
Over the years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football at club level. Ronaldo’s decision to move to Juventus and still perform at his best at the age of 36 has earned him a lot of respect, even from Lionel Messi fans.
Messi hasn’t done too badly at Barcelona and has become more of a controller than just the deadly goal-scorer he once was when he burst onto the scene.
Simeone is right in claiming that Messi in a great team would be a better player simply because his creativity will make the rest of the team tick and bring the best out of them.
Now that’s something we haven’t seen with the Argentine national team, simply because they don’t seem to have the quality players anymore.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, helped a much less fancied Portugal team win the Euro 2016 and played a key role in their UEFA Nations League win in 2019 as well. The Portuguese international’s impact and leadership skills have been incredible in the last few years and he will look to work his magic once again for his country in the European champions later this year.
