'Ronaldo's an extraordinary footballer, but Messi is a genius,' says former Real Madrid manager

What's the story?

Juventus legend and former Real Madrid boss, Fabio Capello, has named his three greatest football players of all time, snubbing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Capello, Ronaldo can't be named in the same category as Lionel Messi, and two former greats, Pele and Maradona.

In case you didn't know...

The Portuguese talisman settled the Juventus-Atletico tie in the Champions League, scoring an impressive hat-trick against Diego Simeone's men in Turin. The Bianconeri had an arduous task of overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.

With a player like Ronaldo leading their attack in such a crucial game, Juventus seemed confident from the kick-off. Scoring two great headers and a penalty later in the game, the five-time Champions League winner propelled Juventus past his former rivals, Atletico Madrid.

Just one day after the masterful performance by the Portuguese in the Champions League, Lionel Messi's Barcelona side faced Lyon at the Camp Nou. Though there wasn't a first-leg deficit to overturn, the Catalans had immense pressure going into the game. However, Messi racked up two goals and two assists in the game as the Catalans comfortably sailed past Lyon, into the next round.

The heart of the matter

Talking to Sky Sports about the two modern-day footballing greats, the former Real Madrid boss said:

“Ronaldo’s an extraordinary footballer, but Messi is a genius. There are three geniuses in football: Pele, Maradona and Messi. Period. Ronaldo is very strong as he lets you win everything, but Messi is a genius and something else.

“I faced Messi when he was 16 years old and I was amazed. He did the same things he does today but 20 years younger because he was born a genius.

“He invents things that others don’t see. Ronaldo has made himself a champion, but not a genius.”

What's next?

Currently leading the goalscoring charts in their respective leagues, the two superstars are in contention for the European Golden Boot.

With the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw to be held on Friday, both Messi and Ronaldo will find out their next opponents in the European competition and there is a possibility of the two squaring off against each other.