While Maria opting for Messi is not a surprise given they are close friends, other Real Madrid stars have sided with Lionel in the past
Following Argentina's Copa America 2024 win, Angel di Maria, who retired from international football, chose teammate and friend Lionel Messi as the greatest of all time (GOAT). After the Copa America triumph, Maria said, "In the end, the best is the one who has more Ballons d'Or, and Messi has eight. For me, therefore, there is some distance between him and Cristiano."
While Maria's choice of Messi is not surprising, given that they are close friends, a few other Real Madrid stars have sided with Lionel in the past. In the following paragraphs, let us recall the times when Real Madrid stars chose Messi over Ronaldo.
Messi calling di Maria and Otamendi over to lift the Copa America trophy with him 🏆
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) July 15, 2024
Forever humble 🙏 pic.twitter.com/JzobdnNXVY
In 2009, Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka joined Real Madrid to bolster the squad's prowess alongside newly-arrived Cristiano Ronaldo and several other stars. Between 2009 and 2013, Kaka played 99 matches in Madrid, spending an incredible number of minutes on the pitch with Ronaldo. However, in 2020, during an Instagram Live question-answer session, he openly chose Messi as the better one by stating, "I played with Cristiano, and he's really amazing, but I'll go with Messi. He's a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible."
🗣️ Kaka chooses Messi over Ronaldo:
— GOAL (@goal) April 4, 2020
"I played with Cristiano and he's really amazing, but I'll go with Messi.
"He's a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible."
🐐 pic.twitter.com/bo8ARCWmyL
Former Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is one of the finest defenders to grace the game of football. During his time at Madrid, he shared a legendary rivalry on the pitch with Messi. On the majority of occasions, Messi toyed with Ramos, but on some other occasions, Ramos managed to school Messi. Towards the end, Ramos and Messi played together at Paris Saint-Germain, and that is when Ramos openly hailed Messi as the greatest.
"There was suffering for several years playing against Messi. I am now enjoying him. He is the best player football has ever produced," said the World Cup-winning defender
A legendary midfielder who requires no introduction, Luka Modric has time and often carried Real Madrid to victory. Not to forget, he was the man who took Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018 for the first time in the nation's history. In short, Modric has an excellent sense of football, and his judgement is unparalleled. Following Croatia's semi-final defeat at the hands of Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final, Modric said, "Hopefully (Messi) win this World Cup. He is the best player in history, and he deserves it."
🗣 Luka Modric after losing to Argentina in World Cup: “Hopefully Messi wins this FIFA World Cup, he is the best player in history and he deserves it.”
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) December 13, 2023
Definition of class 👏 pic.twitter.com/2qKKqfNCri
Nicknamed "The Beast," Júlio Baptista did not play with Ronaldo, given he was part of the Real Madrid line-up between 2005 and 2008. While the first season was spent on loan at Arsenal, he managed to perform at Madrid's level in the remaining two seasons and was a regular in the player XI, winning the league in 2006-2007. During an interaction with Oddspedia, Baptista said, "Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are players, but I would rate Messi slightly higher."
Other Real Madrid stars who picked Messi over Ronaldo are David Beckham, Gonzalo Higuain, Ronaldo Nazario, and Iker Casillas.
