"A player touched by God, something different" - Deco makes big claim when asked to compare Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Barcelona sporting director Deco recently shared his take on the comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The former Portuguese international is among the few players to have played alongside both legends.
Deco played alongside Messi at Barcelona between 2004 and 2008, sharing the pitch 79 times and recording nine joint-goal contributions. He shared the pitch 57 times with Ronaldo in the Portugal national team from 2003 to 2010, recording five joint-goal contributions.
On Catalan radio station RAC1, Deco shared his take when asked to compare Messi and Ronaldo, saying (via CNN):
“Cristiano was a running player, a dribbler who later became a goalscorer. Messi is a player touched by God, something different. In terms of his ability to compete and create danger, I have never seen anything like him."
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have cemented themselves as two of the greatest players to have graced the beautiful sport. Despite both leaving Europe in 2023, both icons have continued to perform at their best for their respective clubs.
Fresh after coming back from an ankle injury, Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to the 2024 Supporters' Shield following a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew on October 2. The Argentine superstar scored a brace in the game. Messi has recorded 19 goals and 12 assists in 21 appearances for the Herons across competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo recently crossed the 900 career goals mark, becoming the first men's player to do so. The iconic 900th goal came during Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on September 5. Ronaldo has recorded eight goals and three assists in nine appearances for Al-Nassr this season.
"They were always very different" - When Deco shared his experience playing alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
In a 2018 interview with AS, Deco recalled his experience of playing alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The former Portugal international had watched the Argentine closely during his early years at the club and said (via GiveMeSport):
"I remember the first time [I saw Messi play], and I see him now and nothing has changed. He continues to play with the same calmness to face things, with simplicity of movement on the field. At 18 years old, it was logical to be scared, but he wasn't.
At the time of Deco's statements in 2018, Lionel Messi was still playing for Barcelona. The star forward left the club in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.
In comparison, Deco considered Cristiano Ronaldo more ambitious than Messi. He explained:
"They were always very different. It was clear with Cristiano that he always wanted more. He always wanted more in training, in games, he always asked for more. He was a lot less calm with his success."
The former Portuguese international recently congratulated Lionel Messi after he won the MARCA America Award on October 17 in Miami.
