In the ever-raging debate of football greatness, Ángel Di María has thrown another log onto the fire, offering a candid take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s self-proclaimed status as the greatest of all time.
The Argentine, who shared the dressing room with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, made it clear that such bravado from the Portuguese star was nothing new.
“I was with him for four years. He was always like that,” Di María remarked. “He always made those kinds of statements, always tried to be the best. But well, he was born in a generation at the wrong time because another one was simply touched by the magic wand.”
The unspoken name in Di María’s statement needed no introduction. With Lionel Messi having amassed a record-breaking eight Ballon d’Or titles to Ronaldo’s five, the numbers, as he pointed out, do not lie. “The reality is shown in the numbers. One has eight Ballon d’Ors, the other five. That’s a huge difference,” he emphasized.
But it wasn’t just the golden trophies that tilted the scales. Di María highlighted Messi’s World Cup triumph, coupled with two Copa América titles, as further evidence of his dominance. “Being a World Cup champion is another big difference, as well as having two Copa Américas. There are many, many differences.”
Beyond the accolades, Di María pointed to the sheer ease with which Messi graces the pitch, likening his style to a child playing freely in his backyard. “And then, you see it in the matches also, in every minute of every game. One plays as if he’s in his backyard. That’s just how it is.”
While Ronaldo’s confidence is nothing new to those who have played alongside him, Di María’s words add weight to the argument that greatness is not just about self-belief, but also about the numbers and the moments that define a career.
“But well, Cris is like that too. He’s always spoken that way. He’s always been the same.”
