"First player you want is him" - Pundit explains why he 'respects' Cristiano Ronaldo more than Lionel Messi

Louis Saha has shared his thoughts on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi GOAT (Greatest of all Time) debate. He picked his former teammate over Messi, hailing him as more complete.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as the two greatest players of all time. Fans, pundits, and players have picked between the two over the years. Louis Saha shared his thoughts on the debate, claiming that he "respects Cristiano more".

The former Manchester United striker said on talkSPORT:

"I think it’s a difficult question, very tricky. Some will like Messi more, but I respect more Cristiano because I think if you wanna start, in some way, a new team with a bit of a hyper jet, then the first player you want is him, because whatever the situation, he don’t need anyone around him. So this is the debate." "There are different factors in football, but on this one, he’s just like physically, mentally, technically, tactically more complete, in my sense of football. But, yes, if you look at quality, this is the debate, you have to look at the genius Messi and respect what he’s done," he added.

Louis Saha shared the pitch 94 times with Cristiano Ronaldo, combining for seven goals.

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When Wayne Rooney said he prefers Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Another former Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney, has also shared his thoughts on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate. He has often picked the Argentine over his former teammate, which has also led to backlash at times.

In a recent interview with United legend Rio Ferdinand, Rooney explained that he prefers Lionel Messi, but it doesn't mean he hates Ronaldo. He lauded the Portuguese attacker's abilities and achievements, and added:

“People think I hate him, I love him! I think he's an absolute genius; what he's doing is incredible. I don't think people realise how close he and I were. Just because I've said Messi is better than Ronaldo, people think I don't like Cristiano. ..." "Ronaldo's a killer, People think because I've said Messi is better than Ronaldo, that I don't like him or I speak down on him. [I prefer the way Messi plays], that's it - you might prefer Cristiano, this person might prefer Messi or Ronaldo, but I don't think you can argue with any of them two. I just like the little flair about Messi, and that's it," he added.

Ronaldo and Rooney shared the pitch 206 times for Manchester United, combining for 27 goals.

Edited by Aditya Singh