Midfielder Angel di Maria believes the gap between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is too clear, in terms of individual awards and collective titles.
In an interview with the major Argentine newspaper Infobae, Di Maria was asked about Ronaldo’s statement that he is the most complete player in history. The midfielder, who played with both Messi and Ronaldo, said: “I’m not surprised. Ronaldo and I played together for 4 years at Real Madrid, and he always said that.”
Di Maria was Ronaldo’s teammate at Real from 2010-2014, before moving to Man Utd. He is in the Top 5 players who have created the most goals for Ronaldo, with 25 passes, only behind Karim Benzema (47 assists), Gareth Bale (32) and Mesut Ozil (31).
Di Maria also believes that the Portuguese superstar is always trying to reach the number one position. “But unfortunately he was born in the wrong era,” the 36-year-old midfielder added. “Because at the same time as Ronaldo, there was another player who was born and touched the magic wand. The reality is shown through the numbers. One has 8 Ballons d’Or, the other only has 5, a big difference. Winning the World Cup is also a big difference, as are the two Copa America titles. There are many other factors.”
Di Maria refers to Messi, as he is a teammate from Argentina’s youth teams to the national team. They were teammates on the national team for 16 years, from 2008-2024, together winning the 2008 Olympic gold medal, the 2022 World Cup, the 2021 and 2024 Copa America.
Ronaldo is 40 years old and has only won one major collective title with his national team, Euro 2016. But he holds the record for both goals and assists in the Champions League, with 140 goals (Messi is second with 129 goals), and 42 assists (Di Maria 41).
Messi and Ronaldo are considered the two greatest players of all time, having won a total of 13 Ballons d’Or. Without Messi, Ronaldo would have won 10 Ballons d’Or, instead of the current 5. And without Ronaldo, Messi could have won 13 Ballons d’Or.
Poll10,407 votesWho do you think is the best player in football history?Lionel MessiCristiano RonaldoPeleDiego MaradonaOther playersVote View resultsTime from: 5/2
The Benfica midfielder also appreciated Messi’s contributions to the team’s style of play. “Watching Messi play, every match is the same, it feels like he’s just playing in his own garden. Messi scores goals in the same way that opponents know in advance but still can’t stop. When he’s 40, Messi will still be able to play like that. Ronaldo always claims to be the best, but I have no doubt that Messi is the greatest in history.”
Messi, 37, is expected to play in the 2026 World Cup at the age of 38, while Di Maria has retired from international football. The Inter Miami captain has no plans to hang up his boots, and Ronaldo is also aiming to win his first World Cup at the age of 41.
Di Maria is in a group of 27 players who have been teammates with both Ronaldo and Messi. Among them are famous players such as Deco, Carlos Tevez, Gerard Pique, Paulo Dybala and Sergio Ramos. In this group, except for Deco who did not give a choice, the remaining four players all rated Messi as better.
