According to Rodri, a star for Manchester City and Spain, Lionel Messi is the best football player of all time, surpassing even Cristiano Ronaldo.
In appreciation of winning the Champions League in 2023 and Euro 2024 with Spain the following year, the 28-year-old was recently given the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
In an interview on Spanish TV, , Rodri, stated that Messi is the greatest “without any doubt.” Messi has won three of the last four Ballon d’Ors before Rodri.
“Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, without any doubt. Cristiano has managed to match Messi without innate talent. But those of us who have played against them can see the difference,” said Rodri, speaking to El Hormiguero.
“We didn’t want Cristiano to step into the box because he was lethal there. But with Messi, the danger was everywhere on the pitch.”
In his club and national career, Ronaldo has scored 928 goals and won 34 major trophies, including five Champions League crowns. In addition, he has five Ballon d’Or victories.
In contrast, Messi has amassed 877 goals, won the Ballon d’Or eight times, including in 2023, and won the Champions League four times.
Although the two played each other in La Liga when the midfielder was at Villarreal and Atletico Madrid prior to joining the Premier League, Messi is currently at Inter Miami and Rodri is recuperating from an ACL injury sustained at Manchester City.
“When Messi got the ball, you’d think: ‘Oh, danger’,” he added. “When I first started playing against him, I tried to take the ball from him, and he dodged you as if you were a bull in the ring. The feeling I had was that something bad was about to happen.”
