For years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have defined world football with their fierce rivalry. Even as both icons approach the final phase of their careers, debates over who stands taller continue to dominate the sport.
Di Maria Weighs In on Football’s Greatest Rivalry
Angel Di Maria, who has shared the pitch with both superstars, recently offered his perspective in an interview with Spanish outlet AS. While he praised Messi’s natural brilliance, he highlighted Ronaldo’s unmatched professionalism and relentless drive.
“𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕,” 𝑫𝒊 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒎, 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆.”
Professionalism vs Natural Genius
Di Maria recalled his years alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid, between 2010 and 2014, where he witnessed the Portuguese forward’s intense work ethic firsthand. He described Ronaldo as the ultimate example of discipline, dedication, and constant self-improvement.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆,” 𝑫𝒊 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅. “𝑯𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒅𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒆𝒓𝒂.”
Messi, now 38, holds a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and capped his legacy with a World Cup triumph in Qatar. Ronaldo, chasing the milestone of 1,000 career goals, has five Ballon d’Or titles and a trophy-filled club career, though a World Cup crown remains elusive.
Di Maria, who retired from international football after lifting the 2024 Copa America, believes fans are witnessing the final chapters of an era, with both legends expected to make their last World Cup appearance in 2026.
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