The debate over who is the better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has split the opinions of every soccer fan around the world for the last decade. Some hail the Portuguese goal-scoring machine as the best, while others consider the Argentine, Mr. Magician with the ball at his feet, as the best. Diego Maradona had his own views on this in 2017.
Over the past years, many soccer pundits, coaches, and players have tried to put up a strong opinion for their preferred player over this question. These names include Pele, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Eusebio, and many more.
Fans consider Diego Maradona one of the greatest players ever to play this sport. He has been there, compared to top players around the world of his time. Therefore, he is in a very good position to provide an opinion on who is the best player of this generation.
Maradona had a lot of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo 👏🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/WIWzyHSzvT
— A (@IconicCristiano) September 13, 2023
In a video that surfaced over X, Maradona was quoted as saying “When the team needs him, he shows up”. Maradona further added, “After young Cruyff, he’s the one to watch out for”. Often a critic of his countryman Messi, Maradona praised Messi’s staunch rival Ronaldo after his stunning year that saw him win back-to-back Champions League, La Ligas, and Euro 2016.
In an interview, Maradona said, “Ronaldo is pure power, and now he’s also a sorcerer. He’d say he’d score three goals and he scored three goals.”
Maradona has called Ronaldo a ‘predator’ in front of goal. He has said that letting Ronaldo shoot from anywhere in the opposition’s half is a nightmare for defenders. Maradona has cited Ronaldo’s professionalism and mentioned that he’s the only one who is comparable to Messi and is subpar with him.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s performances in clutch situations and his ability to lead his team from the front have often impressed fans and pundits all over the world, and Diego Maradona echoed those thoughts.
From suffering from 4 lost finals to losing just 1 out of 49 games while winning the Copa América, Finalissima & World Cup.
Lionel Messi leading his country to the ultimate form or redemption will go down as one of the greatest stories in football. 🇦🇷🐐 pic.twitter.com/VjaoVgNQZi
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) September 14, 2023
However, Maradona has favored his fellow countryman, Messi, as the best. He said that Argentina is blessed to have a player like him. But he also shared his desire to have Ronaldo play for Argentina as well. Messi overtook Maradona as the leading goal scorer in World Cups last year at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
While Ronaldo is yet to lift a World Cup, his performance in the Champions League is unparalleled. He has scored a total of 141 goals, including eight hat-tricks, in the Champions League, which makes him worthy of being called Mr. Champions League. He has won five Champions League titles in his career, all of them with Real Madrid.
Ronaldo pays tribute to Diego Maradona after his passing
The loss of Maradona after his demise saddened the whole soccer world. Many fans and soccer players conveyed their deepest condolences on social media including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hoje despeço-me de um amigo e o Mundo despede-se de um génio eterno. Um dos melhores de todos os tempos. Um mágico inigualável. Parte demasiado cedo, mas deixa um legado sem limites e um vazio que jamais será preenchido. Descansa em paz, craque. Nunca serás esquecido.🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/WTS21uxmdL
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 25, 2020
“Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius. One of the best ever. A peerless magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a limitless legacy and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, crack. You will never be forgotten,” Ronaldo wrote.
Ronaldo and Messi share 12 Ballon d’Ors among themselves. The past decade has been a witness to their dominance in Europe, where these two helped their teams achieve various achievements. The rivalry would go down as one of the greatest rivalries in the history of soccer.
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