Jose Mourinho is among the long list of people who have commented on the eternal debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Portuguese manager even managed Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid where he made some strong statements on the debate.
During his stint as a Real Madrid manager, Mourinho boldly stated, “I keep saying it’s harder to be Cristiano than to be Messi.” The Portuguese boss elaborated on the matter by pointing out that Messi plays for a team and teammates whom he grew up with since his childhood.
Lionel Messi moved to FC Barcelona when he was 13 years old in 2000. On the other hand, Ronaldo moved to England after Sporting Lisbon to play for Manchester United. In the interview, Mourinho went on to compare the positional difference between the two. Messi was deployed as a center-forward during that era, and Ronaldo was often used as a left-winger.
Mourinho pointed out that Ronaldo scored an insane amount of goals with more defensive work. He further elaborated by stating that the referees favor Lionel Messi more by providing him with more protection.
🚨 Jose Mourinho:
“I keep saying it’s harder to be Cristiano than to be Messi”
Full Interview thread.
“I keep saying that its harder to be Cristiano than to be Messi”
“Messi grew up in the team he plays for, with the teammates he plays with.”
“Cristiano came from England to… pic.twitter.com/jvEeAXWwWG
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) October 5, 2023
In the case of Ronaldo, he has to foul multiple times before a yellow card is given to anyone whereas, in the case of Messi, it’s one foul and then a yellow card, and if you touch him again, you are out with a red card.
This bold statement from the interview is new ammunition for the fan base of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is arguing that even Mourinho insinuates that Messi was favored by the officials. The topic of referees and Barcelona has picked up momentum since the new charges in the Negreira case.
Jose Mourinho on Lionel Messi
The interview was from 2012, more than 10 years ago. The careers of both Messi and Ronaldo have been shaped in different ways from moves to different clubs to different positions and playing styles.
Mourinho’s statements have also softened on Lionel Messi over the years, with words of admiration spoken in favor of the Argentine. In 2015, Mourinho revealed Messi as his toughest opponent, “Messi is the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever had.”
🗣️“He is the God of football. We’ll cry when he retires.”
– Jose Mourinho On Lionel Messi 🐐 pic.twitter.com/aVEOECMmj4
— Honest Fan (@FriendlyDiver) May 14, 2023
He further added, “Every time I had to face him, I spent hours and hours thinking about how to stop him collectively, because it’s impossible to mark the man.”
In 2019, Mourinho claimed Messi is the ‘God of football.’ He stated: “Messi is Messi. I’m not saying he’s ‘The Special One’ of this week because he’s ‘The Special One’ of all time. He is the God of football. We’ll cry when he retires.”
Jose Mourinho has also evolved as a manager, just like his statements for Lionel Messi. At present, the Portuguese manager is battling another tough third season at a club with the worst-ever league start for his Italian club, AS Roma.
