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Ex-Argentina shot-stopper Hugo Orlando Gatti once explained the reason why he prefers Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to his compatriot and footballing icon Lionel Messi. Gatti called the Al-Nassr forward a 'phenomenon', claiming succeeded in much more challenging situations than the Inter Miami attacker.
Ronaldo and Messi formed one of the biggest individual rivalries in sporting history for the better part of a decade, winning 13 Ballon d'Or titles between them (five for the former, eight for the latter). They scored over 800 goals each and won every single team and individual honor possible, inspiring generations of footballers to follow in their footsteps.
The pair are still going strong, albeit in different parts of the globe. The Portuguese marksman plies his trade for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, while the Argentine maestro plays for American side Inter Miami.
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In a December 2024 interview with BolaVIP, Gatti claimed that Ronaldo had to step up in much more difficult conditions than Messi throughout his career. He said (via Tribuna):
"I don't dislike Messi, but he played an easy game. I saw him in a Barcelona where they whistled for everything, where nobody kicked him, where they had a great team that played for him. Cristiano is a phenomenon and he's better than Messi. He is better because he does not have the same conditions, but he played in the best teams in the world."
Gatti also asserted Cristiano's superiority by claiming that he succeeded in multiple European leagues (Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Liga Portugal) while Messi only played in LaLiga and Ligue 1. He added:
"It's braver to play there (EPL). Everyone plays there. They run at you, they kill you. Where did Messi play?"
Unfortunately, just four months after the interview (April 2025), Gatti passed away at the age of 80.
"We're not friends" - When Lionel Messi made claim about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi once opened up on his relationship with long-time rival and Portuguese sharpshooter Cristiano Ronaldo.
In an interview with DSports last week, the 38-year-old said (via GOAL):
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he's had and continues to have, because he's still competing at the highest level. The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We're not friends obviously because we don't spend time together, but we've always treated each other with a lot of respect."
Up next, Messi will be seen in action in Inter Miami's Club World Cup Round of 16 clash against PSG on Sunday (June 29). Meanwhile, Ronaldo's next appearance will likely be in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Ittihad in August.
