Carlos Tevez has described Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as ‘both out of the ordinary’, but refused to pick between the latter and Diego Maradona.
Tevez played with Ronaldo at club level for Manchester United between 2007 and 2009, while he was international teammates with Messi for Argentina over a 10-year period from 2005 to 2015.
“They are two greats. I felt comfortable with them both. I enjoyed both and learned from them. They are both out of the ordinary,” Tevez told ESPN.
“With Cristiano, I lived the day to day and with Leo, it was with the national team. They are from another planet. They are still part of football’s elite and that is very difficult. It’s something to admire. You have to tip your hats off to those kinds of players.”
Ronaldo and Messi have dominated world football since the late 2000s, winning 12 of the last 13 Ballons d’Or on offer between them.
When Tevez made his breakthrough 20 years ago, the was the latest in a long line of Argentine talents to be compared to national icon Diego Maradona. Messi is the only one to have lived up to the lofty comparisons and arguably even surpassed the late legend.
“Both,” Tevez said. “They are both Argentine. At times, we fight about it more than the people from outside of the country. The argument has always been made by us. We have to enjoy it.”
Source : 90min