‘I’d go with Cristiano’ – Arthur Melo switches allegiance after previously saying Messi was the GOAT | OneFootball

It hasn’t taken Arthur Melo long to switch his allegiance.

The Brazilian played alongside Lionel Messi for a couple of seasons at Barcelona, and according to an interview he gave to Globoesporte, cited by Sport, he claimed that the Argentinian was ‘the best player in history.’

Melo looked likely to be a fixture in Barca’s midfield for years and was consistently tagged as the new Xavi for the way in which he played the game. Certainly, he appeared to be a perfect fit for the Catalan club.

However, he fell into the trap of believing his own hype and, alongside Neymar who by then had moved to PSG, preferred partying hard to knuckling down on the pitch, an attitude which eventually made it easier for the club to justify a sale, even if it was a book balancing exercise too.

Now finding himself at Juventus and playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Melo has decided that it’s the Portuguese, in fact, that sits atop the footballing tree.

“Cristiano Ronaldo expresses himself more than Messi and he gets on with everyone in the dressing room,” he said to Desimpedidos, cited by talkSPORT.

“He’s very active in the dressing room. He talks to everyone and has a good relationship with everyone. Maybe the fact we speak the same language makes it easier.

“Each person has their own way of demonstrating leadership. Messi does it with actions, as much as it seems he doesn’t.

“He demonstrates it when he receives the ball, with his will to win the game and all his teammates notice this.

“I’d go with Cristiano (as the best of all time), we’re playing together! I’m not that close to Cristiano that I go round his house for coffee, but we have a good relationship.

“Cristiano never backs down if there’s a teammate in need of something and he always gets to it with a fierce determination.

“He trains like an animal, he doesn’t know when to rest and he encourages you to give your all. He always tells me what to eat, not leaving anything to chance.”

What a snake.