When it comes to soccer, the words and opinions of Sir Alex Ferguson are nothing if not respected. The man guided Manchester United to a dynasty and developed numerous world-class talents along the way.
Arguably the best talent Ferguson ever managed was Cristiano Ronaldo. Ferguson took the young Portuguese from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United at the age of 18 and turned him into a star. You could even go so far as to say Ferguson laid the foundation that allowed Ronaldo to become what he is today: one of the greatest players of all time.
Ferguson knows greatness, and so when I found out that he recently weighed in on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate (H/T Goal) I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
Full disclosure: there is plenty of reason to believe Ferguson is biased. Manchester United lost two Champions League finals to Lionel Messi and Barcelona while he was manager, and we’ve already spoke of his relationship with Ronaldo.
So, take what you are about to read with a grain of salt.
"Now don't get me wrong, Messi is a fantastic player, it's like he's wearing slippers when he controls the ball. But here, for me, is the difference: Messi is a Barcelona player, but Ronaldo could play for Stockport County and score a hat-trick.”
"He has everything. He can shoot with both feet, head the ball, he's as brave as a lion, and here's something else people overlook.”
"During my time at Manchester United I was lucky enough to have a lot of people who put in countless extra hours to get better. Gary Neville turned himself from an average footballer into a wonderful one because of his work ethic, as did David Beckham.”
"But Ronaldo used to completely exhaust himself, and still does. He just wanted to be the best in the world."
Alright, taking things one at a time, I’m sure Messi could score a hat trick for Stockport County as well, but the argument that he has an inherent advantage playing for Barcelona is an interesting one.
Should the careers of Ronaldo and Messi have somehow been reversed, and it was Ronaldo who went to La Masia and then played for Barcelona, and Messi who was found by Ferguson and then moved to Real Madrid, would either have achieved the same success?
Specifically, would Ronaldo, not Messi, be known as the greatest of all-time?
A thought experiment, but an interesting one none the less.
For instance, according to Barcelona’s sporting director, Messi’s sub-par 13/14 season was partially blamed on him eating too much pizza. You would never hear a similar story about Ronaldo. He treats his body like a temple, and his immaculate fitness record is a testament to that (since 2008, he’s only missed 39 games).
Ferguson’s words don’t sway my opinion on who is better overall, but they do bring up some very good points; he gives credit where credit is do.
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