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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: José Mourinho settles the debate

The 55-year-old also heaped praises on Ronaldo and Messi for staying at the top for so many years.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: José Mourinho settles the debate

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. (Photo: AFP)

Former Manchester United boss José Mourinho has had his say on who he would choose between Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Much like many footballers and pundits, the Portuguese manager faced the same difficulty when he was asked the question most debated among football fans — to pick between the two five-time Ballon d’Or winners Ronaldo and Messi.

However, while answering the question, Mourinho praised both the footballing great without calling one of them superior.

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“I think it is unfair to both of them when someone says one is better than the other one,” Mourinho told beIN SPORTS. “I think they are just different.”

“The only thing that I can say is that when I had Ronaldo on my side I was a very happy man,” he said, before adding, “And when I had to play against Messi I had to think a lot to try and help my team to have chances to succeed.”

The 55-year-old also heaped praises on Ronaldo and Messi for staying at the top for so many years.

“The thing to admire is the number of years that they have stayed at the top. To win once, it can happen. To win and win and win and win and win is much more difficult. As a player, you can appear like a hurricane and then disappear,” Mourinho insisted before adding, “These two guys have been there for ten years and everything is about them until the moment they decide enough is enough and other people can raise the bar.”

When the former Chelsea boss was asked about his future as a coach, Mourinho revealed that he has no intention of retiring.

“I want to coach,” Mourinho explained. “I belong to top-level football and [that] is where I am going to be.

“I am too young, I am in football for a long, long time but I will be 56 in a couple of weeks and am really too young.”

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