Ruud Van Nistelrooy Says Lionel Messi Plays 'Like a PlayStation Player'

Lionel Messi has no equal in today's game, according to former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutchman, who played alongside Messi's great contemporary rival Cristiano Ronaldo, told Sport (h/t MailOnline's Ieuan Ivett) how Barcelona's attacking talisman combines the best attributes of each of football's marquee talents:

"There is no-one who is at his level, he seems to play like a PlayStation player. Nobody comes close to Messi. Tell me who... Cristiano (Ronaldo) is a goal scorer, (Andres) Iniesta is a brain, (Mohamed) Salah, (Sadio) Mane, (Eden) Hazard and (Kylian) Mbappe are excellent players, but Messi is all that together."

This isn't the first time Messi has been compared to something you might see on a PlayStation. Then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made a similar comment after watching the Argentinian score four against the Gunners in 2010.

Van Nistelrooy's endorsement comes on the heels of Messi being named as one of the nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or on Monday:

Messi was joined on the list by many of the stars Van Nistelrooy name-checked, including Ronaldo and Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Despite the competition, a sixth win seems in sight for Messi, after he took home this year's Best FIFA Men's Player award in September.

It was suitable acknowledgement of another typically prolific season from Messi. The 32-year-old helped himself to 48 goals across La Liga and UEFA Champions League action during the 2018-19 campaign.

Those goals led to Messi winning the Golden Shoe as the leading goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues, an award the gifted No. 10 has owned:

Messi is often given labels like 'world's best' or 'greatest', even though Ronaldo received a 16th nomination for the Ballon d'Or, a prize he's also collected five times, to go with five Champions League trophies from spells with United and Real.

Van Nistelrooy, who now works as an assistant coach with another of his former clubs, PSV Eindhoven, saw Ronaldo as a raw youngster when the latter moved to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.

While Van Nistelrooy gives the edge to Ronaldo's rival, another of his ex-team-mates thinks differently. Patrice Evra won the Champions League with Ronaldo and the Red Devils in 2008, and the Frenchman told Sky Sports Monday Night Football (h/t Rich Jones of the Daily Mirror): "I just think Messi, it's just a gift, it's talent. God said, 'go on, go and play with those kids'. But Cristiano worked so hard. He's a machine."

Meanwhile, there is a dissenting voice for Messi in the form of Samuel Eto'o. The striker was part of the Barca team, along with Messi, that beat Ronaldo's United 2-0 in the 2009 Champions League final.

However, Eto'o didn't name Messi as the best he played with, instead giving the distinction to midfielder Andres Iniesta, per LaLiga Africa (h/t Goal).

When it comes to judging the best players of the modern era, discussions usually focus on Ronaldo and Messi. Van Nistelrooy's assessment is an apt one because Messi has generally emulated Ronaldo's phenomenal scoring feats, while also being a more consistent creator of goals.

Messi's flair and eye for a pass are as important to his game as his quality in front of goal, while Ronaldo is the ultimate finisher, the player who ruthlessly capped moves for United, Real and now Juventus, rather than dictated them.

Messi has stayed at the peak of both phases of the attacking game, something few other marquee talents of his or any other era have managed.