E-Paper
Casemiro makes his choice clear in Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate: ‘I needed help from Kroos, Modrid, Ramos…’
Casemiro was asked who he thought was better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and he started praising the former Barcelona star.
Manchester United star Casemiro made honest admissions on how difficult it was for him to tackle Lionel Messi, whom he called one of the best players in the history of football. The seasoned midfielder engaged in plenty of on-field battles with Messi during his time at Real Madrid when the Argentine star used to be the leading man of the Barcelona side. The two stars locked horns on the field and shared a cordial relationship.
Casemiro also played alongside Messi's biggest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, at Real Madrid and Manchester United, and he partnered with the Portuguese forward to stop Messi during his Barcelona stint.
Recently, Casemiro was asked who he thought was better, Messi or Ronaldo, and he started praising the former Barcelona star.
"I could never stop him on my own," the United midfielder told Diario AS. "It was impossible."
The prolific midfielder who won historic three back-to-back Champions League titles at Madrid admitted that he needed support from his midfield partners and defender Sergio Ramos to stop him. During his time in European club football, Messi netted 26 goals and provided 14 assists against Real Madrid and helped his team won 20 out of 47 matches.
"I needed help from Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos... but just me, impossible. He was unstoppable."
"It's difficult to explain," he said.
Meanwhile, Casemiro said they also had one of the greatest players in football history - Ronaldo and said the two footballers changed the game.
"Messi was one of the best players in history, but we had another player, Cristiano Ronaldo. What they both did is unrepeatable. In my generation the best were Cristiano, Messi... they did a lot for football and they changed it," he added.
The Brazilian midfielder compared Messi and Ronaldo's impact on football to Pep Guardiola's, who revolutionised the style of play with tiki-taka.
"Just like Guardiola changed football with the tiki-taka, these two changed it too. 50 goals a season and it seemed like something normal. Those two players will stay in our memories," he added.
Meanwhile, Casemiro is enduring tough times at Manchester United as they have suffered 12 defeats in 25 Premier League games this season and are currently placed in the 15th spot. If things don't get better at United, then a complete overhaul might be on the card in the next summer transfer window, which may also see Casemiro leaving the club.
