For more than two decades, Cristian Ronaldo has dazzled the world of football. His list of admirers is endless and includes Lionel Messi's former PSG manager, Christophe Galtier.
Galtier experienced Ronaldo's greatness firsthand this week as his team, Al-Duhail, faced Al-Nassr. The Portuguese star set up Anderson Talisca to open the scoring before netting a second-half goal of his own during a 4-3 win in the Saudi Pro League.
When speaking to the media, Galtier praised Ronaldo, throwing some fire into the debate of who is the better player between Ronaldo and Messi. Galtier did not sit on the fence as he reporters, "What he did is extraordinary for a 38-year-old. He's still the best player in the world."
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Last season, Galtier worked alongside Messi when he was the manager for PSG. However, he was let go shortly after Messi left for Inter Miami, where he rediscovered his best form. The 36-year-old had a disappointing ending to his time in France as he failed to help deliver the Championship trophy to PSG fans.
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Although their time together didn’t go as planned, Galtier has not shown any bitterness when discussing his former player to the media. In June, he said, “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football. This year, he has been an important part of the team, always available. I don’t think any of the comments or criticisms are justified. He’s always been there for the team.”
While those comments contradict what Galtier said earlier this week, this is not a debate that will end anytime soon. Both stars still have a few productive years left and have dominated the soccer world for more than a decade.
CAMP NOU, BARCELONA, SPAIN - 2020/12/08: Cristiano Ronaldo (L) of Juventus FC is challenged by Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group G football match between FC Barcelona and Juventus. Juventus FC won 3-0 over FC Barcelona. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)In head-to-head matches, Messi has the advantage with 16 wins to Ronaldo’s 11. Ronaldo has the edge in scoring despite averaging 35 goals a season compared to Messi’s 37.9. However, one thing they have in common is that they have both scored over 690 club goals in their careers so far.
Additionally, they have similar trophy hauls, but Messi holds a slight edge. The 36-year-old has ten La Liga titles with Barcelona and Ligue 1 once with PSG. Ronaldo has only won seven titles, but unlike Messi, he has won the league in three different leagues. That list includes Italy, Spain and England.
Although this debate is far from being settled, it appears that Galtier has changed his mind in recent months. Regarding who is the best, Gatlier has a tough duo to choose between.
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