Lineker upset Ronaldo with Portugal star now refusing to speak to him | Football | Sport
Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the former Barcelona and England striker was asked about Messi, 38, and Ronaldo’s 15-year dominance at the top of the game. Insisting that he’s in awe of the Real Madrid icon’s achievements, 41, Lineker didn’t stray away from his belief that Messi possesses a superior ability to his rival Ronaldo.
He said: “I always feel bad because people have a go at me because they say, ‘oh, you don’t like Ronaldo’. It’s not that I don’t like Ronaldo. I absolutely think he’s an incredible footballer, but there’s no argument about who is the better footballer. Anyone that understands the game will see that.
“But I’ve got so much admiration for Cristiano, because he’s so driven and his career has been so successful and he’s scored so many goals. In many eras, he’d be the best player of his time. But the fact that he’s actually put in the same breath and lots of people do make the comparison is a huge compliment to him, really, of what he’s achieved. Because he hasn’t got the ability that Messi has. No one has. But it’s not an insult to Ronaldo to say that.”
When asked whether his views annoy others, Lineker claimed his backing of Messi as a better player than Ronaldo had led to the Portugal captain cutting ties with him, despite their previously cordial relationship. He answered: “Ronaldo gets annoyed, he doesn’t speak to me anymore. We used to get on all right. And then suddenly, you know, I was interviewed or something and asked, ‘Who’s a better player?’ Well, Messi. And then he doesn’t like you anymore then.”
Describing the Inter Miami superstar as the greatest player of his lifetime, he cited Messi’s longevity as an advantage he holds over his compatriot in Diego Maradona. Lineker explained: “I never thought I’d see a better player than Diego [Maradona]. He might not necessarily be a better player, but he’s lived better therefore he has had greater longevity.
“And I think you have to take that into account. I mean, I just can’t explain how good he is, because he does stuff, he’d do four or five things in a game that I wouldn’t have done in one game in my entire career. And I played at the top. He plays like he’s watching himself from above.
“Take away all the goals and the dribbles and stuff. His passing and his vision, I just don’t know how it’s humanly possible. It’s just bizarre. But I just got so much time for him. He’s given me 20 years of joy watching him.” In what is likely to be the last World Cup tournaments for Messi and Ronaldo, the former enters it as the defending champion while the latter will hope to capture the only honour missing from his long list of accolades.
