Highlights

• Many legendary managers have answered the eternal Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
• Wenger and Mourinho refuse to pick a favourite, acknowledging that both players are incredible and among the best ever.
• The managers highlight the different qualities of Messi and Ronaldo, with Messi being praised for his creativity and natural talent, while Ronaldo is admired for his athleticism and goal-scoring ability.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest players of all time. But who is better?

Many of the world's greatest managers in the world have answered the debate in the past. Sir Alex Ferguson, Diego Simeone and Jurgen Klopp are just three high-profile coaches that have given their opinion. Here at GIVEMESPORT, We've listed 10 legendary managers who have answered the debate on who they believe is better below.

Out of the 10 great managers listed below, the majority went with Messi over Ronaldo. But we think Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho put it best. Whoever you side with, the Argentine and the Portuguese are both incredible footballers and will go down as two of the best. Read on to find out what exactly has been said about the iconic duo by some of the most respected minds in football.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Choice: Cristiano Ronaldo

This isn't that surprising, given Ferguson brought Ronaldo to Manchester United and managed him for six years. He outlined the differences between the two back in 2016, saying (via Sports Illustrated):

“Now don’t get me wrong, Messi is a fantastic player, it’s like he’s wearing slippers when he controls the ball. But here, for me, is the difference. Messi is a Barcelona player. But Ronaldo could play for Stockport County and score a hat trick. He has everything. He can shoot with both feet, head the ball, he’s as brave as a lion..."

Fabio Capello

Choice: Lionel Messi

Capello criticised Ronaldo numerous times during his spell with Juventus, and kept this up during the 2022 World Cup when he called the Portugal star both 'arrogant' and 'cumbersome'. With that being the case, it comes as little surprise that the former England manager went with Messi when picking his favourite of the two. He told Marca, per CalcioMercato:

"It's one thing to be an outsider, and another thing, to be a genius. The difference is enormous, since a genius does what nobody imagines. Ronaldo is an extraordinary footballer, but Messi is a genius."

Diego Simeone

Choice: Lionel Messi

A leaked WhatsApp clip in 2018 appeared to show Simeone claiming Ronaldo was better than Messi. He clarified those comments shortly after and said that his compatriot was better. The Atletico Madrid boss told reporters, per Goal:

"If I had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo then most likely I would choose Messi. Yes, I said [Ronaldo] on the video, but the conversation was between me and [Atleti assistant] German Burgos, talking about football as everyone talks about it. When I talked about Messi and Ronaldo it wasn't from the perspective of who is the best in the world. I just meant that if you have the chance to sign one of them for a normal club, with normal players, Ronaldo would probably fit in better. But with Messi, surrounded by great players, Messi is better than Ronaldo."

Jurgen Klopp

Choice: Lionel Messi

Klopp will be forever remembered as being one of the greatest ever Liverpool managers, as he won it all with the Reds before announcing his shock departure in 2024. One can only image just how good his teams could have been had he been able to pick either Messi or Ronaldo during his time at Anfield. When speaking at a Q&A in 2018, he made it clear who he'd rather have in his side, saying:

“I have only one selfie on my smartphone. That’s with Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the room as well…”

Zinedine Zidane

Choice: Cristiano Ronaldo

Zidane managed Ronaldo for many years – as the duo won three consecutive Champions League titles together between 2015 and 2018 – so it's not much of a surprise that he went with the Portuguese superstar. The Frenchman said:

“Cristiano is the best. Messi is his rival and it's the rivalry everyone wants to see. But Ronaldo is phenomenal. There are no words to describe him. He is much better than me even though I had a great career. He's the greatest of all time.”

Jose Mourinho

Choice: neither

In 2013, Mourinho said Ronaldo was the best. Three years later, he named Messi and not Ronaldo in his three greatest players of all time. But, speaking to BeIN Sports in 2019, Mourinho refused to pick a favourite. He explained:

“I think it’s unfair to both of them when somebody [says] this one is better than the other one. I think they are just different. When you go to Messi and Ronaldo, I think it’s just unfair to compare the players. The only thing I can say is that when I had Ronaldo on my side, I was a very happy man. And when I had to play against Messi - and also against Ronaldo because I played against Ronaldo a few times - I had to think a lot to try and help my team have chances to succeed."

Pep Guardiola

Choice: Lionel Messi

Guardiola managed Messi for many years at Barcelona and is perhaps responsible for getting the very best out of the Argetinine, so it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who he might pick. Indeed, in 2016, Pep said that the Argentine was on a different level to Ronaldo. He explained as per ESPN:

"Messi is the best, he is definitely the best. He knows how to play, score and make the other players play. He is always there. With all the respect to all the players, first to Cristiano Ronaldo - congratulations to him for the award - I think Messi is on another level."

Joachim Low

Choice: Lionel Messi

The World Cup-winning manager was asked the question in 2018 and he went with Messi. Low seemed pretty certain of his position when he told Bild, as per The Sun:

"I would stick with Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo is sensational, a very good professional, an incredible goalscoring machine for many years, but Messi is the most complete player I have seen. He is a great team player. He's provided 30 to 40 assists for the last 10 years as well as scoring around 50 goals. He's capable of leaving eight or nine players in his path and his goals always stay in your memory."

Arsene Wenger

Choice: neither

Legendary Arsenal boss Wenger was asked about who he thought was better in 2019. He didn't like to compare the two, but did say that most managers would be more tempted by Messi. He said:

“I would say that they are so good that it’s difficult to choose – in 10 footballers of the year, it’s five and five, so that shows they are really on the same level. Artistically, Messi is as well a guy who can give the final ball, so he’s maybe more a creative player than Ronaldo. Ronaldo is more a finisher, better in the air, more athletic, and Messi is the more artistic. So basically you are always tempted a little bit more by a player like Messi.”

Vicente Del Bosque

Choice: Lionel Messi

Real Madrid legend and World Cup-winning manager Del Bosque, perhaps controversially, didn't go with the Los Blancos icon when it came to this particular debate. Instead, he opted for Messi, telling Mundo Deportivo, per Goal:

"He [Messi] almost always plays well. There are players who never do it wrong. He has an impressive regularity. He is a great player. I'm staying with Messi. I see a more natural soccer player, from his time in the neighbourhood, playing with friends on the street. Even so, Cristiano has extraordinary courage, with physical and technical conditions as a great scorer, but I'm staying with Messi."