Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane believes Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world.
For countless times, there have been questions as to whether the Portuguese forward is better than his fierce rival Lionel Messi, or vice versa. However, in the Zidane’s eyes, the former Man United man comes second to none.
In an interview with Mexican newspaper Record, the former France international was asked whether Lionel Messi was the greater player and this was his response:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is the best. People can say what they like about Cristiano Ronaldo, but in his heart he’s a good person. Messi is the rival and that rivalry is great for the footballing spectacle, it’s what the fans want to see.”
On the contrary, former Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez had quite a different response to the same question in his reign at the Santiago Bernabeu. During a pre-season tour of Australia with Los Blancos, the Spaniard was asked the same question and he responded:
“To say that he is one of the best in the world I believe is sufficient,” Benítez said, before digging a deeper hole for himself by adding: “It is like asking my daughter if she prefers my wife or me. The father or the mother. It’s not easy.”
This season, the Portuguese star has scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 29 appearances in all competitions (excluding country). On the other hand, his Argentine counterpart has scored 24 goals and provided 10 assists in 28 appearances.
In La Liga this season, Ronaldo has scored 19 goals and provided 7 assists in 23 appearances while Messi has scored 12 goals and provided 5 assists in 17 appearances.
In the Champions League, Ronaldo has scored 11 goals and provided 3 assists in 6 appearances while Messi has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in 3 appearances.
