For many years, Messi and Ronaldo have been battling each other at the top level.
Their battle was at its scintillating best when Messi was playing Barcelona and Ronaldo was representing bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Since Messi clinched the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina, many fans felt he has cemented himself as the undisputed GOAT of football. But Ronaldo fans will always have something to say about that.
Jose Mourinho invites Roma youngster Francesco D’Alessio to conduct post-match interview after senior debut
Credit: AS Roma
Back in 2019, Mourinho chose to praise both rather than pick one.
He said to ‘On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho’: “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.”
Mourinho continued: “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.’
“The bar has to be high, so it has to be incredible motivation for Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappé and [Antoine] Griezmann. Unfortunately, Cristiano and Messi will not last forever.”
