Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: When Jose Mourinho Settled the Divisive Debate

• Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those debates that will never have a right answer
• The two icons have shaped sports rivalry for over 10 years with top-class performances
• Veteran Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho once weighed in on who between the two has his vote

If you have not made peace with the fact that the Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi debate will be an eternal one, then you could be the problem.

Not even Messi winning the World Cup with Argentina could convince Ronaldo fans that their man was beaten.

Each of the veterans has a staunch fan base that will go to the ends of the earth to try and prove why one is better than the other.

Ronaldo recently got his hat-trick at his new workstation in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr. This generated a fresh round of debate, as his arch-nemesis has never scored a hat-trick for Paris Saint-Germain despite being there for more than a full season.

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Comparing the two legends once again brought back memories of what Jose Mourinho once said.

The Portuguese manager worked with Ronaldo during his spell at Real Madrid and got the opportunity to observe his countryman for himself.

Mourinho on Messi vs Ronaldo

At that time, the former Manchester United star was predominantly a winger, while his storied rival was largely used as a centre-forward in a false 9 position.

It was ironic how their positions changed afterwards.

"I keep saying it’s harder to be Cristiano than Lionel Messi. I’ll tell you: Messi grew up in the team he plays for now; with the teammates, he plays with now. Cristiano came from England to a team that was losing."

Mourinho famously stated that Messi was about 50 metres closer to the goal and had less defensive work.

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"How can a winger score the same amount of goals as a centre forward does?" he said as quoted by GMS.

To Mourinho, Ronaldo deserved far more credit than the Argentine. It would be interesting to know if he still harbours the same thoughts 11 years later.

Pique chooses Messi over Ronaldo

Sports Brief also reported on ex-Barcelona player, Gerard Pique choosing the GOAT, being one of those with the honour of playing alongside both Messi and Ronaldo.

The former defender praised Ronaldo for his work ethic but admitted Messi was the best, with the 2022 World Cup at 35 proving the Argentine's talent.

Pique played alongside the veteran at Barcelona and with Ronaldo at Manchester United, stating the battle between the two has been impressive to watch.