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Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Man Utd team-mate explains why Lionel Messi must be considered the better player.
Former Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson outlined why he believes Lionel Messi is better than his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Richardson has reflected on his time working with Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford, where former England international began his career by spending five years on United’s books.
Richardson, who announced his retirement from football in 2017 at the age of 33, has acknowledged that, if forced to choose a winner in the age-old argument, he would choose Ronaldo’s rival Messi as the better player.
On the Steven Sulley Podcast, Richardson was quizzed on the duo and gave his thoughts, claiming: “They’re both the GOATs.”
However, he added, clarifying who comes out on top: “But if I had to pick one, then I have to pick Messi, even though I know Ronaldo, I’ve played with Ronaldo, I love Ronaldo.
“When they pass away, they’ll still be talked about forever, but just because Messi got that World Cup. It’s a massive thing having that World Cup, because even before Messi had the World Cup, everyone was saying, ‘yeah, but he hasn’t won it yet.'”
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Richardson added that winning the 2022 World Cup meant that there was “no question” over Messi’s status as the greatest of all time, placing him above the likes of fellow Argentina icon Diego Maradona and Brazil great Pele.
From 2003 and 2007, during Ronaldo’s formative years, he and Richardson shared the pitch at the Theatre of Dreams.
The adaptable Englishman made his debut around the same time Ronaldo moved to Sporting CP, but after a promising start, he slipped out of the starting lineup in 2006 and left in 2007, while his teammate quickly rose to superstardom.
While Ronaldo’s second stint at United came to a dramatic conclusion when his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in November 2022, more recent events have not been kind to him. He is now playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has hit a tough patch at Al-Nassr after a strong start, and he has to get over his recent outburst against Abha to help them get back on track in their quest for the Saudi Pro League title.
Nevertheless, Messi is currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain and will be back in action on Sunday against Rennes in Ligue 1.