"He raises his level of performance" - When Giorgio Chiellini was asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Italy international defender Giorgio Chiellini was once asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Juventus defender insisted that he would pick Ronaldo over Messi as his teammate.

Chiellini is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the modern era and was a key player for both Juventus and Italy for almost two decades. During his illustrious career for club and country, he faced both Messi and Ronaldo as opponents.

He faced Cristiano Ronaldo on six occasions, winning twice, losing three times, and drawing once. Ronaldo scored in each of those games and scored a total of nine goals against the Italian defender.

On the other hand, he faced Lionel Messi four times, winning just once, drawing once and losing twice. However, the Argentine maestro never managed to find the back of the net against Chiellini.

Ronaldo and Chiellini became teammates in 2018 and played 55 games alongside each other, winning five trophies together. When asked to pick between the two greats of modern football, Chiellini chose his former teammate, Ronaldo.

He insisted that the former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar elevates his game on the biggest of occasions. Chiellini said in 2024, as quoted by talkSPORT:

"We cannot say for me, who is better, Messi or Cristiano. But if I have to pick one, for a final, Cristiano. I love to play with Cristiano. And I saw when the game is more difficult, he raises his level of performance."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared a fierce rivalry for nearly two decades. They have won as many as 13 Ballon d'Ors between themselves which is a testament to their dominance in modern football.

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Marcelo picks between Lionel Messi and his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Real Madrid full-back Marcelo has offered his response when asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Brazil international spent nine years alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid while facing Messi as an opponent numerous times, too.

Marcelo admitted that he suffered a lot while facing Lionel Messi, but picked Cristiano Ronaldo as he used to be his teammate. He also insisted that he feels lucky to witness two of the greatest footballers of all time. He said, as quoted by ESPN.com.mx:

"We are so lucky because we saw both of them (Ronaldo and Messi). We didn't see Pele and Maradona but we saw Cristiano and Messi. I love Cristiano, I played with him but I love to see Messi play. I suffered a lot against Messi, you know? I was there, I'm so lucky. For me, it's Cristiano because I played with him."

Marcelo shares a great bond with Cristiano Ronaldo having played 333 times alongside him. The two enjoyed solid chemistry down the left flank and had 33 joint goal participations. On the other hand, he faced Lionel Messi 33 times, winning 10 times, drawing seven times and losing 16 times.

Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee