Dutch legend Van Basten: “Ronaldo is a great player, but those who claim that he’s better than Messi doesn’t understand anything about football.”
Messi or Ronaldo?!
Dutch legend Marco van Basten weighed the debate of Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo, arguing that people who favour the latter know nothing about football. The dispute about which pair deserves the tag of the highest active player has heard for many years. For almost ten years, Messi and Ronaldo have been direct rivals in La Liga with Barcelona and Real Madrid; The Argentine enjoyed great fortune in league with his club, while four Champions League titles helped Cristiano and the Merengue in five seasons. And just as difficult to separate them in terms of awards. Messi boasts six Balloons d’Or, more than any other player in the history of the prize, followed closely by Ronaldo with five.
Players like Messi come every 50 or 100 years
Many advantages of the past and present gave their opinion to the debate, but Van Basten believes that little doubt the personality of the best of the two.” Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi does not know anything about football or say it’s unfair, “Former Ajax, Milan, and Oranje legend told reporters. It is impossible to imitate and unlikely to repeat. A player like him comes every 50 or 100 years. “As a child, he ended up in a football pot of genius.” Marco, of course, was the most significant footballer, bursting onto the scene from Ajax as a teenager and winning an incredible 172 goals in 152 matches for the Dutch giants.
Van Basten the winner of a three Ballon d’Or
This fantastic form earned him a move to Milan, which under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello was one of the most formidable parties in the world in the late 80s – early 90s. His time at San Siro brought two Euro cups and three Scudetti. At the same time, internationally, there was fame as he helped the Netherlands take Euro 1988 along with Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. Before Messi and Ronaldo appeared, he was one of only three players who won Ballon d’Or three times, a feat shared by compatriot Johan Cruyff and French legend Michel Platini.
Van Basten’s time on top, however, was shortened by a terrifying run of injuries; And he believes that if not for those physical troubles, then he could have been even better. “I stopped playing when I was 28. I already won three Ballon d’Or,” he added. “Just look at Ronaldo and Messi, both over 30, where they are now.”