The Atletico Madrid manager has clarified the statements he made about the two stars during the 2018 World Cup.

Diego Simeone has finally come out to clear the air about certain statements he made about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The content of a leaked audio message sent by him to his assistant at Atletico, Germán Burgos - after Messi failed to shine in Argentina’s shock 3-0 defeat to Croatia - sought to praise Cristiano Ronaldo who’d bagged a hat-trick against Spain and had scored Portugal's game-winner against Morocco.

"Messi is very good, but he's very good because he's accompanied by fantastic players [at Barça]," Simeone declared in his audio message.

"If you had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo for an average team, who would you go for?"

Nonetheless, with the intentions behind the message seemingly misinterpreted, Diego Simeone has redressed his comments.

 

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"I'd always choose Messi [over Ronaldo], without a doubt,” the Atletico Madrid manager stated at a press conference ahead of his side’s ICC 2018 encounter with Paris Saint-Germain in Singapore on Monday.

"When I said what I did about Messi and Ronaldo, I wasn't talking about who is the best player in the world. I was saying that in a team of average players, Ronaldo would probably be a better fit.

"But, when surrounded by top players, Messi is the best in the world."

In an unrelated side development, the 48-year-old Argentine manager is keenly looking at the possibilty of bringing his son, Giovanni, to Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old forward currently plays for Fiorentina and had an impressive 2017/2018 season, scoring 14 goals in 40 apperances for the Viola.

According to Spanish publication Sport, club president of Los Rojiblancos Enrique Cerezo sanctioned a 40-million euro move for the player but had it vetoed by Fiorentina who secured his services for 15 million euros from Genoa just last season.