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Jose Mourinho Had His Say On Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Debate

Jose Mourinho Had His Say On 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.

Speaking to On the Touchline, during his spell as a punit last year, 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 57-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."

The two men have 11 Ballon d'Ors between them, with Messi's sixth in 2019 splitting them having previously been on five each.

Neither could have expected to win the title this year with Robert Lewandowski expected to win it for the first time in his career. However France Football decided to cancel the competition this year due to Covid-19.

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

The pair will never be able to be split in the minds of many and Iker Casillas and Kylian Mbappe both had their own takes on the age old debate in recent times.

They're both closer to the end of their careers than the beginning but it's likely the debate won't end then.

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Topics: Football News, Jose Mourinho, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga