After years of playing together with Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani makes stance clear on whether he would have loved to play alongside Lionel Messi

Former Manchester United and Portugal star Nani, who played alongside legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo, claimed that he would have liked to share the pitch with Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated football over the better part of two decades and are widely regarded as two of the best players in history. They have racked up over 850 career goals each, winning a total of 13 Ballon d'Or titles between them - five for the former and eight for the latter.

A select group of footballers have been teammates with the two legendary forwards, including Angel di Maria, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain. Unfortunately for Nani, while he did appear alongside Ronaldo in 130 games (54 for Manchester United, 76 for Portugal), he never played with Messi during his career.

In an exclusive interview with Covers, Nani explained how the Argentine icon fits the playstyle in the MLS and how he would have loved to play alongside him. The former Orlando City forward said:

"I'm not surprised to see the success Lionel Messi has had in the MLS, he's also a superstar. When it comes to MLS, the league is built for superstars because they invest more in attacking players than defenders. The culture is to score goals, people are in the stadium to see goals, not the defending side. So it's natural that when Messi is there, with his quality and talent, he will shine and score goals. You just need to enjoy it. I'm really happy for him as well. "I think he is one of the greatest in football history, and what he continues to do is special. Obviously, if I had the opportunity to play alongside him, it would be something extra for my career."

After a stellar 20-year career, Nani retired from football in December 2024.

"Don't think we can talk about it" - Nani responds when asked if Barcelona starlet can reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former Manchester United and Portugal forward Nani claimed that there shouldn't be comparisons between Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and legendary forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Debuting for Barca's senior team at the tender age of 15 in 2023, Yamal has already established himself as one of the best forwards in world football. He has racked up 29 goals and 39 assists in 115 appearances for the Blaugrana, and was also named the Young Player of the Tournament in Spain's triumphant EURO 2024 run.

At the Portugal Football Summit 2025, Nani waxed lyrical about the young Spaniard, but refused to compare him to the Argentine and Portuguese icons. The 38-year-old said (via Givemesport):

"I don't think we can talk about it. We are destroying what we want him to reach. We don't want to talk about it so he can reach it. The bad thing about human beings is that they talk until they reach it. We can't compete with Ronaldo or Messi. They have already done their thing and they are doing very well. We are going to do this, whether less or more, we are going to applaud them because these are moments. We can't compare things."

Up next, Yamal will be seen in action in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League clash against Club Brugge on Wednesday (November 5).

Edited by Aaryan Nagraj