Diego Simeone differentiates between Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s qualities

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During the World Cup in Russia last summer, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone’s leaked conversations choosing Christiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi as the best player in the planet did the rounds. It drew the ire of a lot of Messi fans around the globe but now the Argentine seems to have retracted his statements.

Diego Simeone claims both Messi and Ronaldo are the best in their own game play
Diego Simeone claims both Messi and Ronaldo are the best in their own way

Simeone started on how Ronaldo’s unpredictability while going forward can be a blessing for teams which lack attacking options up front. However, he chimed in that Messi is better suited for teams which like to play an eye-pleasing brand of football.

“What I consider is that in a team with fewer solutions, Ronaldo is a better fit because he provides many solutions. For a team which focuses on football, Messi is much better.”

Referring to the second leg Round of 16 UEFA Champions League encounter between Juventus and Atletico Madrid when Ronaldo’s hat-trick ousted the La Liga club, Simeone praised the Portuguese’s ability to change the complexion of the game single-handedly.

“We are talking about very fine margins of how a team plays. Cristiano can decide a game in a different way, he doesn’t need ten attacks. He scored two headers against us and we were out.”

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