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Jose Mourinho Had A Great Answer To The Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Debate

Jose Mourinho Had A Great Answer To The Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Debate

The Spurs manager was commenting during his spell as a TV pundit but the debate is unlikely to ever end.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Just like many other pundits, ex-footballers, current players, managers and fans, José Mourinho has offered his two cents on the long-running debate surrounding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After nearly a year out of work Mourinho is back in management at Spurs, and trying to turn the club's fortunes back around, but during his time off the former Real Madrid boss did a stint as a pundit in several places.

Speaking on the one installment of On the Touchline, the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss praised both Messi and Ronaldo, rather than picking one as the best.

"I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation," he said. "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 wasn't done there.

The 56-year-old Portuguese manager admitted that the pair, who have won eleven Ballon d'Or between them, have raised the bar so much that it should be motivation for other players to challenge themselves.

"Now, I think they have put the bar really high," he explained.

"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."

At the time the two men had been locked on five Ballon d'Ors each and, despite Messi winning the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year, many expected the pair to go two years without winning the title of world's best.

Virgil van Dijk's year of winning the Champions League with Liverpool, and coming second in the Premier League, had made him favourite but it was still Messi who walked away with the title.

Messi with his six trophies. Image: PA Images
Messi with his six trophies. Image: PA Images

Since making the statement Mourinho became the surprise replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine sacked just months after guiding his side to the club's first ever Champions League final.

The former Manchester United boss has had mixed results so far in his new role and has recently lost to top four rivals and former clubs United and Chelsea.

Losing to the Blues would have come as particular annoyance to the Portuguese manager as it came at the hands of his former player Frank Lampard.

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Topics: Spurs, Football News, Jose Mourinho, World Football, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Premier League, Ballon d'Or, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga