Lionel Messi 'More of a Genius' Than Cristiano Ronaldo, Says Fabio Capello
It’s a debate that has rumbled on for years and legendary coach Fabio Capello has weighed in with his opinion on the Lionel Messi-versus-Cristiano Ronaldo argument, citing the Barcelona man as the better player despite losing the Ballon d'Or race.
Speaking with El Partido de las 12 on Cadena Cope (h/t AS), the former AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid boss claimed that even though Messi is having a relatively tough time by his own impeccable standards, he’s still the superior footballer:
"Messi is more of a genius than Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is having a difficult time at the club and that may generate problems. I do not know what might happen.
It is a very interesting fight because Cristiano is very solid and very strong mentally. He always wants to be the best, every year. He is playing in a great team, everyone helps him and he helps the team.
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Ronaldo was crowned as the world’s best player for the second successive year at the recent Ballon d’Or gala, and there’s no denying that 2014 was a more prosperous year for the Real Madrid man than Messi.
Indeed, speculation about the future of the Barcelona man has been stoked recently, given the ongoing tribulations at the Catalan club, per AS.
Despite the speculation, Capello insisted that there’s no way the Blaugrana will ponder the prospect of selling their star man:
"I do not think that Barca should sell Messi, how can you sell Messi? I saw him on Sunday. He started badly in the first few minutes, he was on the wing, he didn’t like it, then he woke up and produced a great match. Barca cannot sell a player like so.
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Barcelona have also insisted that Messi will be going nowhere, per Marca. With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Janusz Michallik took a look at how the Blaugrana star can wrest back the Ballon d’Or from Ronaldo this year:
Ultimately, the player you favour out of the two comes down to your fundamental footballing preferences. If you’re a sucker for a player surging past someone with pace and hammering an unstoppable shot into the stop corner, then Cristiano’s talents are obviously better suited to your taste.
But if you’re all about finesse, touch and intricate dribbling, then it’s got to be Messi. With those qualities considered, if Capello means that Messi has greater natural ability when he claims that the Argentina man is "more of a genius," then it's difficult to disagree.
Capello, who has worked with some of the finest players in the history of the game, obviously prefers the latter. And while not everyone will accept his assessment on which player is superior, it’s hard not to agree with his claims that Barcelona cannot afford to let their all-time leading goalscorer leave Camp Nou any time soon.
