As Rio Ferdinand points out in his interview with Gerard Pique, Pique is one of the few players to have ever played with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. As such, Pique has a rare perspective on what separates the two players, on who’s better and why. Ferdinand, being the competent interviewer he is, made sure to ask Pique his thoughts on who is better.
My full interview with @3gerardpique goes out tomorrow live on @btsport https://t.co/V7voZqwH2t
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) April 4, 2016
Here is a transcript of what Pique had to say:
I think that they are both amazing. We are talking about two of the best players, not just in the world but the history of this sport.
I always said that Messi has some talent that no one has. I mean, he has the ball and his speed controlling the ball. The ball doesn't go two metres far from his foot, it's always there. It's impossible to catch him, this talent I didn't see from anyone.
[Ronaldo] is such a different player, they are very different. He is tall, strong, he's really complete. He can do anything. He can do goals with the head, free-kicks, penalties, take one on one.
But for me it's like Messi is not human but [Ronaldo] is the best of the humans.
It’s easy to see where Pique gets the distinction from. Cristiano Ronaldo is an amazing player, but he simply cannot match the ball control, passing, and dribbling ability of Messi: attributes that allow the Argentine to affect the game in so many more ways than Ronaldo ever could.
Photo: @TransferBibIe | Twitter
When you watch Ronaldo play today, he is fast, he is strong, and he is still capable of skipping past a defender like it’s nothing, but he is not as effective across all facets of the game as Messi. He is turning into more of a goal poacher: a move that will extend his career and surely lead to many more goals, but one that also restricts his role in the team. Messi can make the game flow, while Ronaldo more and more can only be the beneficiary of his teammates doing that for him.
Follow me on Twitter: @yetly
