Barcelona director Deco has his say on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate

In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine (as reported by SPORT), Barcelona’s sporting director Deco has weighed in on the perennial debate of who’s better between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Having had the privilege of sharing the pitch with both players during his illustrious career, Deco brings a unique perspective to the discussion.

Deco, who witnessed Messi’s rise at Barcelona and played alongside Ronaldo for the Portugal national team, was posed with the inevitable question of choosing between the two footballing giants.

However, opting for a diplomatic approach, Deco refrained from picking sides, acknowledging the extraordinary talents of both Messi and Ronaldo without explicitly favoring one over the other.

“They are different players, it’s very hard to choose between one or the other,” Deco remarked

The current Barcelona director then gave his take on what made Messi and Ronaldo special, saying: “Messi has always been a natural talent. He has adapted to the game over time, but his way of moving has always been the same.

“When he started to get opportunities in matches, he continued to do the same. He made everything look easy.”

On Ronaldo, he added: “When he was young he was a pure winger, he picked up the ball and all he thought about was dribbling past everyone. He grew a lot as a footballer, becoming the most competitive beast I’ve ever seen.”

“The ideal would be to have them both in the team,” he added. “It would be to pass them the ball and wait for the rest.”