When asked which player he would rather play with, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne answered straight.
De Bruyne of Manchester City is one of the finest players in contemporary football history, although he is not on the same level as Ronaldo and Messi.
The Belgian midfielder has faced both iconic players in his career, but he explained why he prefers to play with one over the other.
It will not go down well with Manchester City fans, but the 33-year-old said that he would prefer team up with Ronaldo since Messi may come in the way.
“I would probably say Ronaldo because he’s more of a typical striker,” De Bruyne said last year.
“Messi is still more of a playmaker. I am a playmaker, you can give me a striker.”
Playing next to Erling Haaland, who scored an amazing 52 goals in his City rookie season, De Bruyne caused havoc and thrived on having that focal point to play off of.
Over the course of more than 15 years, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football, amassing an absurd quantity of goals, trophies, and 12 Ballon d’Or between them.
Ronaldo believes they no longer have a rivalry because neither plays in Europe, but their competition was beneficial as it kept them both pushing for improvement.
“I don’t see things like that, the rivalry is gone,” Ronaldo said during a press conference last year.
“It was good, spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don’t have to hate Messi and vice versa. We’ve done well, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that’s the most important thing.
“He’s followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don’t see the rivalry like that. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years.
“I’m not saying we’re friends, I’ve never had dinner with him, but we’re professional colleagues and we respect each other.”
