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Former Barcelona star Arda Turan has voiced his opinion on the never-ending Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo debate. He has claimed that the Blaugrana skipper is the better footballer among the two.
Firm in his beliefs, Turan claimed that Messi is present in 'every moment' of a game. The ex-Barcelona man credited Ronaldo for his remarkable goal-scoring abilities which are second to none, but went on to admit that Messi possesses every single footballing variable in his game.
Highlighting the key attributes of Lionel Messi's style of play, Turan said that every person he has spoken to shares the same views as himself.
The Barcelona skipper recently powered his side to the Champions League quarterfinals with a wonderful performance against Napoli. Barcelona are set to take on tournament favourites Bayern Munich in the last eight.
"Lionel Messi is present in every moment of football" - Turan
Against the odds, Lionel Messi rose to the occasion to score an outrageous goal against Napoli, where he squirmed through no lesser than five defenders before letting fly despite losing his balance.
Barcelona won the game comfortably in the end, highlighting just how crucial Lionel Messi is to their fortunes.
Click here for Messi Net Worth
Turan and Messi played together for three years at Camp Nou, following the former's move from Atletico Madrid in 2015. The Turkey international was loaned out to Istanbul Basaksehir from 2018 to 2020. Together, the duo won three trophies.
Meanwhile, Messi and Ronaldo have blessed the biggest stages with record-breaking, otherworldly displays season after season. They continue to push each other to be better and outscore the rest of Europe consistently. It is no wonder that no other player from 2008 to 2018 managed to break their Ballon d'Or duopoly.
When asked to compare between Messi and Ronaldo, Turan opined:
"Messi is present in every moment of football. He can dictate the game in every aspect. There's nothing bad to say about Ronaldo but he's a goalscorer, albeit a very special one. Messi does everything in this game."
He continued:
"He does things you can't even imagine to do. His intelligence, his vision, his passing are all much different. And every person I have talked to about this agrees with me."
With due respect to Lionel Messi's on-field rival Ronaldo, Turan added:
"Except the people who are close to Ronaldo, his team-mates, who say it's Ronaldo as they answer politically. Ronaldo is my friend and it's not my place to question his quality. But I think Messi is better."
All eyes will be on Messi when he takes to the pitch against the German champions, while an impressive campaign at Juventus where he netted 37 goals summed up Ronaldo's season.
Messi has already dumped Bayern Munich out of the Champions League earlier, and owns a particularly impressive record against German sides.
Also read: Barcelona are over-dependent on Lionel Messi, says former Blaugrana defender
