Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? When new Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso made his pick
New Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has been asked to pick his side in the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate a couple of times. But the former Spanish midfielder has been firm with his choice, picking his former Real Madrid teammate consistently.
In 2014, Xabi Alonso backed Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest he had played with during an interview with the Daily Mail. He said (via BOLAVIP):
"Cristiano is the best footballer I have ever played with.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder also backed Ronaldo to win the 2014 Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer. Germany won the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and Alonso stated that the result would also have been fair if any German player had won the title. He added:
"If Neuer or another German player had won the Ballon d'Or, it would have been fair, they won the World Cup. But I also say that if Cristiano Ronaldo takes it, it's fair too. He had an incredible season and won the Champions League."
The new Real Madrid manager solidified his stance in 2017 when he picked the Portuguese attacker over Messi again. While speaking to Bodegas Beronia in 2017, he said:
"The best of all time? The usual suspects: Cristiano and Messi. But because he was my teammate, (I pick) Cristiano."
Ronaldo and Alonso joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. They played together for five years before the former Spanish midfielder joined Bayern Munich in 2014. Together, they won the UEFA Champions League, LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup, and Copa Del Rey.
When Kaka picked between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Brazilian football icon Kaka chose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo when he was asked to make his pick in the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate in 2020. Ronaldo and Messi have dominated world football for almost two decades.
During a live Q&A on Instagram for FIFA in 2020, Kaka was asked to choose between the two football icons. He said:
"I played with Cristiano and he's really amazing, but I'll go with Messi, He's a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible."
Kaka joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, at the same time when Alonso and Ronaldo arrived at Santiago Bernabeu. He played 99 games alongside the Portuguese attacker between 2009 and 2018, jointly contributing 21 goals.
