There isn’t a doubt that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the most important stars of this century’s soccer, and so they maintain a distinguished place within the historical past of the game. Each have left their mark on followers’ imaginations, who continually debate who’s the higher participant.
Ezequiel Garay has the uncommon distinction of getting performed alongside each Messi and Ronaldo. He performed with Leo for years on the Argentina nationwide crew, and the 2 have been finalists within the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the place they misplaced the title match to Germany. He additionally performed alongside CR7 at Actual Madrid between 2009 and 2011.
In a latest interview with DAZN, Garay was requested whether or not he thought-about Ronaldo the very best participant he had performed with in his profession. “No,” the previous defender answered actually. “He’s quantity two. Primary is Leo, and Cristiano is quantity two, certainly.”
Digging deeper into the comparability between the 2 superstars, Garay was clear in highlighting Messi particularly. “They’re two very completely different gamers, however the one who has stunned me probably the most is Leo. I’ve been lucky to play with each, and Leo is one thing else,” mentioned the previous center-back, who, like Messi, was born in Rosario and commenced his profession at Newell’s Previous Boys.
Former Argentina participant Ezequiel Garay.
Garay highlights a key trait of Cristiano Ronaldo
Although he selected Lionel Messi as the very best participant he performed with, Ezequiel Garay didn’t maintain again reward for Cristiano Ronaldo. He particularly highlighted a attribute of the Portuguese ahead that stood out throughout their years collectively at Actual Madrid.
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“It’s true what Carlos Tevez all the time says,” Garay defined throughout the identical interview, citing one other Argentine who performed with Ronaldo. “He’s the primary to reach at six within the morning and the final to go away. He does his routine, his coaching, his physiotherapy. Every little thing to all the time be in the very best situation.”
Which gamers have been teammates of each Messi and Ronaldo?
Ezequiel Garay belongs to a choose group of gamers who’ve had the fortune of being teammates with each Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. That record additionally consists of different former Argentine Actual Madrid gamers, comparable to Fernando Gago, Gonzalo Higuain, and Angel Di Maria.
The identical logic works in reverse: Portuguese gamers who performed with Messi at Barcelona and with CR7 on the nationwide crew. Examples embody Deco, Nelson Semedo, and Andre Gomes.
Moreover, throughout Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United, he was teammates with Argentine gamers Gabriel Heinze and Carlos Tevez, in addition to Gerard Pique, who later returned to Barcelona and received a number of titles with Messi. Different examples embody Paulo Dybala, Miralem Pjanic, and Henrik Larsson.
