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Legendary coach Jose Mourinho once weighed in on the age-old Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate in football. Despite being at the twilight of their respective careers, the two icons continue to share a heated rivalry for their fans and followers.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are unanimously considered among the greatest players to have graced the beautiful game. Despite leaving European football around two years ago, they continue to remain among the best players in the world today. Their iconic rivalry began two decades ago, whilst reaching its peak between 2009 and 2018. During this period, Ronaldo and Messi represented archrival sides, Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
In a 2019 segment of On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho for RT shows, Jose Mourinho shared his thoughts on the Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate. The Portuguese tactician refused to choose one over the other, and said (via SPORTBible):
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"I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation. They are lucky because they can compete against each other. They look to each other in a positive way and get extra motivation. If there was only one of them, they would have ten Golden Boots. Now, I think they have put the bar really high. And you have the players coming behind, who I like to call the 'little monsters.'"
Jose Mourinho notably coached Ronaldo between 2010 and 2013 at Real Madrid. However, he never worked with Messi.
When Lionel Messi credited Cristiano Ronaldo for still playing at the "highest level"
In a recent interview with DS Sports, Lionel Messi opened up about his iconic rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary Argentine's comments came after Inter Miami's 2-1 win over Porto in the group stages of the FIFA Club World Cup. The Herons were eventually eliminated from the tournament after a 4-0 loss to PSG in the round of 16.
Speaking of Ronaldo, Messi said (via Sports Illustrated):
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Ronaldo and for the career he's had and continues to have, because he's still competing at the highest level. he 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."
He continued:
"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."
After Inter Miami bowed out of the Club World Cup, Lionel Messi will focus on leading them to the MLS Supporters' Shield and Cup. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo renewed his contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr this month and will do his best to lead them to silverware next season.
