Netherlands legend and former Barcelona player and boss Johann Cruyff has once again reiterated his belief that Lionel Messi is head and shoulders above the rest in the football world, and that the pint-size Argentine is on another level compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Dutchman made these remarks at the 2nd Aspire4Sport congress in Berlin, and hailed La Pulga’s ability to dictate play and dish out assists, alongside his goalscoring threat, a skill which he feels Ronaldo lacks.
Cruyff said: “For me, I have always liked small, technical players because that's a little what I was like. Ronaldo is a great player, but he's a goal scorer. He will never be the player that can create or force a team to play well. He cares about finishing. He is a great player.”
“Messi is much more of a team player than Cristiano. He gives passes, produces many more assists... so for me, as a player, not a goalscorer, although he also scores a lot, the best is Messi. For me, there's a great difference between being a great player and a goalscorer.”
Leo, with 468 career goals, is not only the Blaugrana’s top scorer this year, but he also has the most number of assists to his name, as he guided the Catalan giants to a record second triplet.
This has many pundits tipping the Argentine for the upcoming Ballon d’Or award, and although Cristiano Ronaldo is still in the running for a third consecutive prize, Cruyff argues that there is not a more deserving candidate than Leo.
"There's no discussion, nobody is on the same level as Messi. I'd give it to him again," added Johann.
