Angel Di Maria: “Cristiano Ronaldo outclasses Messi in this area…”

The former Manchester United winger, Ángel Di María, has offered a nuanced comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, highlighting a specific area in which the Portuguese, now captain of Al-Nassr, stands out clearly.

Having rubbed shoulders with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid and shared the locker room with Lionel Messi in the Argentine national team, Di María has a privileged view of the two legends of world football. In an interview granted to the Spanish daily AS, the 2022 World Cup champion stressed Ronaldo’s extraordinary professionalism.

“Absolutely. In terms of professionalism, Cris is by far the number one,” said Di María. “His work ethic, his ability to stay at that level while competing with Leo, commands respect.”

The Argentine then contrasted the trajectories of the two stars: “Cristiano has always bet on hard work and effort to become the number one. Messi, for his part, has shown over time that he possesses a God-given gift to be the best.”