While it is difficult to determine who is the best soccer player of all time and a consensus is unlikely to be reached, there is no doubt that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the running.
However, if it is difficult for a fan to decide between the two, it is even more so for a player who was a teammate of both. Nevertheless, a former Real Madrid player chose one of them and, to the surprise of many, it was not the Portuguese player.
CR7’s former teammate prefers Messi
The current captain of Al Nassr joined Real Madrid on July 6, 2009, and played brilliantly for nine seasons (2009-2018).
There, he not only continued to elevate his professional career but also led the team to four Champions League titles, three Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, two Spanish Super Cups, two La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles. Individually, he received recognition in the form of four Ballon d’Or awards, three Golden Boots, and two FIFA ‘The Best’ awards.
Coinciding with his arrival, he shared a locker room with Argentine Ezequiel Garay between 2009 and 2011. There, he played 31 games and scored a single goal. He was also the 2011 Copa del Rey champion.
However, by that time, Messi was already a prominent figure in the Argentine national team, and the defender’s name was already resonating in the corridors. He made his debut in 2007 and was called up again in 2011 to play with Leo. During his career (2007-2015), he played 32 games and tournaments such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa América, where they were runners-up.
Having shared the field with both stars, when Garay was asked in an interview with DAZN if Cristiano was the best soccer player he had ever played with, his answer was clear and emphatic: “No.”
“And where would you rank him?” they insisted. “Second. Leo is number one and Cristiano is number two, without a doub,” said Garay according to Bolavip. “I think they are two very different players, but the one who has surprised me the most is Leo. I’ve played with both of them, I’ve been fortunate enough to play with both of them, and Leo is something else.”
However, despite the fact that the defender considers Lionel to be above CR7, he did not fail to praise him and highlight the hard work and professionalism of the 41-year-old Portuguese player: “He’s the first to arrive at 6 in the morning and the last to leave. He’s a star. He does his routine, his training, his physio, everything to always be in the best condition.”
In 2011, Garay left Real Madrid and headed to Benfica in search of the continuity he couldn’t find at the Santiago Bernabéu. Cristiano remained at the club until 2018, becoming its all-time leading scorer and an icon for the club’s fans.
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