Midfielder of Manchester City Rodri once called Lionel Messi the goat for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spanish midfielder is aware of the qualities of both superstars, which they have confronted on the field several times.
Rodri met La Pulga 14 times in his career so far, during the time of the Argentinian with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Spaniard only registered one victory-the 2-1 victory of Manchester City on PSG in the Champions League Group phases of 2021-22.
In the meantime, Rodri has confronted Ronaldo 10 times in his career, won four games and lost three. The Portuguese have managed five goals in those encounters.
Speaking after winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or in October last year, Rodri also outlined why Messi was more a threat than Cristiano Ronaldo:
“Lionel Messi is without a doubt the greatest player of all time. Cristiano has succeeded in matching Messi without innate talent. But those of us who played against them can see the difference,” said Rodri via Bein Sports.
He continued:
“We didn’t want Cristiano to get into the box because he was deadly there. But with Messi the danger was everywhere on the field.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not shown any signs lately. The Portuguese is currently stopping his trade with Saudi-Arab side Al-Nassr. La PulgaMeanwhile, plays for MLS Side Inter Miami.
How many balloon d’On have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won so far?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi added more stars to the Ballon d’Or Race in the past two decades. The two players maintained a historical dominance at the prize, without other player who won the first prize from 2008 to 2017.
Ronaldo has lifted the Ballon d’Or five times in his career, while Messi has won a record eight times. The Portuguese won the prize for the first time as a player of Manchester United in 2008. He lifted the Ballon d’Or four times as a Real Madrid -Man, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
In the meantime, La Pulga Won the prize six times as a Barcelona player. His first victory was the start of a Recordrun, in which the player won four consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 2009 to 2012.
The Argentinian also won the prize in 2015 and 2019 while he was in Camp Nou. Messi went on the prize with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021 and with Inter Miami in 2023.
Published by Ankush Das