 "Ronaldo's former teammate Di Maria says Messi is best footballer of all time: 'The Reality is shown in numbers'")
Angel Di Maria has stated that Lionel Messi, not his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, is the “best” player in the world. Di Maria, who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina under Messi’s leadership, also called his national teammate the “best in history.”
Di Maria was asked to compare Ronaldo and Messi after the former recently sighted his goalscoring feat and claimed that he is the "most complete" player in the history of world football .
‘Ronaldo always tried to be best’
Di Maria, who played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, doesn’t agree with the 40-year-old Portuguese star footballer. The 37-year-old Benfica footballer said he is not surprised by Ronaldo’s comments as he always tries to present himself as the best player, but Messi’s greatness can be seen in his numbers.
The former Manchester United winger Di Maria said Messi has won the Ballon d’Or eight times while Ronaldo has five to his name. Messi is also a World Cup winner.
“I’m not surprised, I was with him [Ronaldo] for four years. It was always like that. He always made those statements, he always tried to be the best, but well, he was born in a generation, just at a bad time, because another one was born who was touched by the magic wand [Messi],” Di Maria told InfoBae.
“The reality is shown in numbers. One has eight Ballon d’Or, the other five. There is a very big difference. Being a world champion is another very big difference, having two Copa Americas. There are many differences, many. And then you see him in the games, you see it in every minute of every game, that one plays as if he were in the backyard. He hits the same goal as always and keeps doing it. And he’s been doing it for 18, 20 years.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts‘Messi is best in history’
Di Maria added that the longevity of Messi’s success makes him the best player in the history of world football.
“How long has he been doing the same thing? And everyone says, ‘but you already know what he’s going to do,’ well, go mark him and he’ll do it anyway and he’ll still be 40 years old and still do tiki-taka, tiki-taka. That’s how it is. But, well, Cristiano is like that too. He always made statements that way. It was always the same.
“For me, Leo [Messi] is the best in the world and the best in history, without a doubt.”
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
