Zinedine Zidane’s thoughts on the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have recently come back into the spotlight.
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Zidane is regarded as one of the best midfielders of his era, having secured 13 major trophies during his club career at Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid. He also achieved international success by winning the World Cup with France in 1998.. Continue Reading
After retiring in 2006, Zidane transitioned to management, taking charge of Real Madrid a decade later. Under his leadership, the club claimed two La Liga titles and an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League titles.
Known as ‘Zizou,’ he left the managerial position in 2018, only to return a year later and win another La Liga title in 2020.
During his time as Real Madrid’s manager, the club’s fiercest competitor was Barcelona, led by Lionel Messi as captain. Zidane’s key player at Madrid was Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Messi’s long-standing rival.
Despite his close association with Ronaldo, in a YouTube interview for Adidas last year, where he and Messi reflected on their careers, Zidane gave Messi the highest praise, despite his admiration for Ronaldo.
“No, it’s only one word: magic,” he admitted.
“Leo and I are not together every day, so today is a very important day for me because I can tell him how much I admire him.
“And all the people who like football, and all these players who are different, I think he’s magic, magic in the sense that before receiving the ball, he already knew what needed to be done.
“Especially for me, as someone who understands football, watching you on the field, I almost knew what you would do, you know? It was like a connection.
“When I see him doing what he does, I say, ‘That’s it’. That’s what people want to see in football, there are only a few of them. There are a few, but not like him. Only a few… Well, one.”
It’s not the first time Zidane has been asked to compare Messi and Ronaldo. In 2018, he was asked if the Portugal star stands alone as the greatest player ever.
He replied: “Yes. His numbers speak for it, both in terms of what he has done and what’s still to come.
“A player could come here, spend 20 years playing in this side and still not achieve what he’s done.”
