Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Alex Brotherton
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Kevin De Bruyne had no doubts when he was asked if he'd prefer to play with Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
Manchester City star De Bruyne is one of the greatest players in modern football history, but he isn't quite on the level of Ronaldo and Messi.
The Belgian midfielder has come up against both legendary players during his career, but he gave a clear reason why he would rather play with one than the other.
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It won't go down well with Man City fans, but the 33-year-old admitted that he would rather link up with Ronaldo because Messi might get in his way.
"I would probably say Ronaldo because he’s more of a typical striker," De Bruyne said last year.
"Messi is still more of a playmaker. I am a playmaker, you can give me a striker."
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De Bruyne thrives off having that focal point to play off and caused chaos playing alongside Erling Haaland, who scored an incredible 52 goals in his debut season at City.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football for more than 15 years, with both scoring a ridiculous amount of goals and collecting 79 trophies and 12 Ballons d'Or between them.
Their rivalry was a healthy one as they forced one another to raise their game, but now that neither plays in Europe, Ronaldo doesn't think they share a rivalry any more.
"I don't see things like that, the rivalry is gone," Ronaldo said during a press conference last year.
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"It was good, spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don't have to hate Messi and vice versa. We've done well, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that's the most important thing.
"He's followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe.
"From what I've seen, he's been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don't see the rivalry like that. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years.
"I'm not saying we're friends, I've never had dinner with him, but we're professional colleagues and we respect each other."