Juventus winger Angel di Maria’s old comments regarding the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have resurfaced.
Di Maria made the comments last year when Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free deal.
Di Maria is one of the few players who have shared a dressing room with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
He spent four years with the Portuguese talisman at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2014.
The winger played alongside Messi for the Argentina national team and also for a year at PSG. Opening up on the rivalry between the two superstars last year, Di Maria heaped praise on Messi.
“For me, it is very easy to play with him [with Messi]. If you run, he gives the ball to your feet. There are no excuses for anything. I have an excellent relationship with him on and off the pitch. It is easy to realise what you want,” Di Maria said in an interview with TyC Sports (via Marca)
He added:
“Messi is from another world. You kick a ball at him and he stops it. I’ve never seen anything like it. I played with Cristiano, Ney, Mbappé, Rooney, Van Persie, Ibrahimovic, Benzema, Bale and honestly I did not see anything like it. It is something unique.
The former Benfica attacker also joked about how Cristiano Ronaldo would have wanted to join PSG at a time when three of the world’s biggest forwards in Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe played for them. Di Maria said:
“Cristiano must want to k**l himself for not being here. The quality and quantity of players that PSG has now is something unique. Not many times it happens in clubs and the great players always want to be with the best. Cristiano surely wants to be, but they bought Messi and luckily much better.
Di Maria left the Parisians after seven seasons this summer, joining Juventus on a free transfer.
How have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared so far this season?
Lionel Messi’s first year in Paris wasn’t great as he scored just six times in Ligue 1 and provided 15 assists across competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, finished as Manchester United’s top scorer across competitions with 24 strikes in 38 games.
This season, however, has been much different. While Ronaldo has been relegated to the bench by manager Erik ten Hag, the Argentine is flourishing again under new PSG boss Christophe Galtier.
The Portuguese is yet to assist or score a goal in six league appearances this season.
Lionel Messi has scored three and assisted six goals in six league appearances so far, and will want to lead the French giants to an elusive Champions League title this season.