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Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona, Real Madrid, El Clasico, Ronaldo Nazario, Football
Ben McCrum
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona, Real Madrid, El Clasico, Ronaldo Nazario, Football
Despite playing with several of the very best, Lionel Messi has no doubts about who the greatest football player he has ever seen is.
Having been a part of one of the most impressive teams of all time at Barcelona, Messi has played both alongside and against some of the best footballer ever to play the game.
At Barcelona, Messi was teammates with players like Carlos Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Ronaldinho and formed the key part of arguably the greatest front three of all time with Neymar Jr and Luis Suarez.
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And yet, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner winner named none of these men when asked to pick the greatest player he had ever witnessed play live.
Although Messi has enjoyed some of the very best teammates a player could dream of having, he instead named a former opponent as the best player he'd ever seen play live.
But, despite their long-term rivalry, it wasn't Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo that Messi named, as the Argentine instead gave the nod to Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazario.
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“Ronaldo Nazario was a phenomenom,” Messi told TyC Sports in 2020.
"Of all the strikers I have seen, for me he was the best. An impressive player from any aspect.”
However, the World Cup winner did also pay tribute to Ronaldinho for his guidance during his early days at the Catalan club.
He added: “He helped me a lot. I came into the dressing room at 16-years-old. Doing so and seeing all these greats was difficult. He took me under his wing, he made me feel comfortable, so that I let go.
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“On the pitch I was always looking for him. We played for a few years together. In this era I didn't play much. I would have liked to play a lot more with him.”
Messi’s rivalry with Ronaldo over the years will go down as perhaps the greatest in the history of football, but the current Inter Miami star has had nothing but praise for his counterpart over the years.
He told DAZN: “It was a special duel with Cristiano that will remain forever.
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“It lasted many years, and it is not easy to maintain certain levels for a long time.
“Our teams were also very demanding: Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two strongest clubs in the world. “Competing as equals for so many years is something that will remain forever.”