Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: 10 great managers that have answered the debate | OneFootball

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):

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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: