People Who Say Ronaldo Is Better Than Messi 'Know Nothing About Football'

AC Milan and Netherlands legend Marco van Basten has ripped into football fans who deem Cristiano Ronaldo to be superior to Lionel Messi.

The two footballing titans, who have eleven Ballon d'Ors between them, are the subject of football's age-old debate and it's rare that one is mentioned in a sentence without the other popping up.

Everyone has their preference but three-time Ballon d'Or winner van Basten cannot understand how someone would give Ronaldo the nod.

"Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi know nothing about football, or they are saying it in bad faith," he told Corriere dello Sport.

"Messi is one of a kind. Impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years. As a kid, he fell into the football genius pot."

Image: PA

A lot of the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo has been hyped up by fans and the media, with the two actually having a pretty good relationship and poised to have dinner together at some point in the future.

Speaking at the Champions League draw in August, Ronaldo said: "We have shared the stage 15 years. I don't know if that's happened before -- the same two guys on the same stage all the time.

"Of course, we have a good relationship. We haven't had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future.

"We had that battle in Spain. I pushed him and he pushed me as well. So it's good to be part of the history of football."

There's even been talk about the pair potentially playing in the same side, with a suggestion that the two could join forces for David Beckham's MLS outfit Inter Miami.

In a wide-ranging interview chat with Mundo Deportivo, Messi was recently asked whether or not he would pass to Ronaldo if they were playing in the same side and replied: "I guess so, in the end, yes."

Messi also praised Ronaldo's goalscoring form for Juventus this season, adding: "It's normal that he continues to score, he is a predatory striker, he loves to score, any day he plays he will score.

"He has many good attributes as a forward and at the minimum he converts."

Topics: Football News, Football, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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