Evra: 'Messi will win 15 Golden Balls if he works like Ronaldo'
Messi is under a lot of criticism and pressure when he plays poorly in the match PSG lost 0-2 to Bayern in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round on the evening of March 8. In the two seasons with the Argentine striker, PSG were eliminated in this round, although the previous two seasons they went to at least the semi-finals. In the four rounds of the 1/8 round, Messi did not score or assist.
On the occasion of PSG's defeat, Evra talked about how he always valued Ronaldo over Messi in the greatest player debate in history. "I always choose Ronaldo, not because he is a former teammate, brother to me, but because I love Ronaldo's work ethic," the French player said on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel FIVE.
Evra played with Ronaldo at Man Utd between 2006-2009, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League. In the past, Evra joked about not going to the Portuguese striker's house for lunch because it would be one of the most boring lunches, consisting of only salad, chicken and water and then going to the garden, doing a little exercise, going swimming or sauna. Evra's story shows that Ronaldo has always been obsessed with training and maintaining his body.
Ronaldo and Messi have compared each other for each goal, individual and collective title records from more than 10 years. They took turns to dominate the Golden Ball from 2008, until Luka Modric won first place in the poll of France Football magazine in 2018. After that, Messi won the Golden Ball 2019, 2021 and became the first player seven times. won this prestigious individual award.
According to Evra, Messi is endowed with natural talent, while Ronaldo has to work hard to reach his current position. "If there was a work ethic like Ronaldo, Messi would have won 15 Ballon d'Or. I love people who work hard so that's why I chose Ronaldo over Messi," the 41-year-old former defender added. .
With 709 goals, Ronaldo currently holds the record for scoring more club goals than Messi (701). However, the 38-year-old striker played two more seasons than Messi and is wearing the Saudi Arabia Al Nassr club. Meanwhile, Messi is leading the race in terms of assists, with 299 passes compared to Ronaldo's 203. This season, the Argentine star has 16 assists compared to four of Ronaldo.
Messi also scored more goals and played more in the World Cup, but Ronaldo played and scored more in the Champions Laegue. In the end, Messi won more awards and individual trophies, while Ronaldo won three different leagues, in England, Spain and Italy.
There was an opinion that the debate should be closed, when Ronaldo and Portugal stopped in the quarterfinals, and Messi won the World Cup in 2022. In which, Messi scored seven goals, including a brace in the final and was awarded by FIFA. World Cup Golden Ball - award for the best player of the tournament at Qatar 2022, and five times winner of the best player award.
