The endless debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is still quite mainstream. Many players who have played with and against the duo are quite happy to speak about their experiences. A common rival of both icons spoke about his experience. He has revealed that both of them are tough nuts to crack and to contain them you couldn’t lose focus for even ‘half a second!‘.

He also spoke about the differences he noticed between them and how both dealt with situations differently.

Rival claims that he couldn’t give Ronaldo and Messi even ‘half a meter’ of space

Many players have sided with one during the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate. At the same time, several players have stayed away from making comparisons between both. Sporting CP center-back Sebastian Coates is one of them. In an interview with A Bola, Coates was asked about the difficulty he faced while defending against them. He said, “Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo inside the box is a player you can’t leave half a meter because you know he’s going to score. Messi is more with the ball on his feet, his biggest problems started outside the box rather than inside. More complicated because he had more space to get the ball. They were the two most complicated.

“You couldn’t lose focus for half a second. Because they would score”, (translated with DeepL). The track record of Sebastian Coates against the duo indicates why it proved to be such a tough challenge. At club level, he has faced both of them twice in the Champions League group-stage games. However, the defender has lost on all four occasions. Coates played against Messi and Ronaldo when they were at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. He is not the first player to show his admiration for both the players. Barcelona’s young star, Pedri, has recently praised both of them as teammates and opponents.

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In an interview, Pedri once revealed that the Argentinian was the first player he ever saw in the dressing room. The Spanish midfielder added that he was left in awe when he started training with him. In their only season together, he lifted the Spanish Cup with La Pulga. However, his importance in the squad is like what Messi had during his days.

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The 21-year-old midfielder has shown his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo as well. Despite his Lionel Messi fandom, he recently included the Al Nassr star over the Argentine World Cup winner in his team. Pedri also called him the best striker he had ever seen in his life.

The comments from Sebastian Coates and Pedri show how the generations across the years have been able to enjoy different facets and stages of the rivalry. What is your favorite Ronaldo and Messi moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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