“Ronaldo always makes comments like that; he’s always striving to be the best. But unfortunately, he was born in an era where another player could turn everything he touched into gold—Messi,” Di Maria told Argentine news outlet Infobae.
“Numbers don’t lie. Messi has won 8 Ballon d’Or awards while Ronaldo has 5. And there are many differences, but the most obvious is that Messi lifted the World Cup, while CR7 hasn’t,” Di Maria added.
Ronaldo and Di Maria celebrated winning the Champions League together in 2014 while playing for Real Madrid (Photo: Getty).
Di Maria was Ronaldo’s teammate at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2014 before moving to Manchester United. He ranks among the top five players who have provided the most assists for CR7, with 25 passes—only behind Karim Benzema (47 assists), Gareth Bale (32), and Mesut Ozil (31).
The Argentine midfielder acknowledged Ronaldo’s relentless drive to become the world’s best player, which he finds commendable. “However, Ronaldo was born in the wrong era. In my opinion, Messi is the greatest footballer of all time,” stated the 1988-born star.
Di Maria noted how Messi plays calmly as if he were in his backyard. The forward consistently scores with precision year after year, spanning two decades.
“People often say, ‘We know what Messi will do,’ but when you give him space, he’ll score no matter what—even at 40, the Miami striker still performs his magical Tiki-Taka,” Di Maria remarked.
Di Maria alongside Messi (from left) celebrating the Copa America 2024 victory (Photo: Getty).
On the international stage, Di Maria has been closely tied to Messi from 2008 to 2024. They’ve played together from youth teams to the senior national team. Messi and Di Maria jointly won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2008, the 2022 World Cup, and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo, now 40, has claimed one major international title with Portugal—the 2016 Euro. However, he holds the record as the top scorer in football history across all levels with 924 goals (Messi follows with 850 goals).
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