Former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has given his take on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate – and has sided with his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate.
While Herrera might not have had the chance to play alongside Ronaldo during his time at United, he did play alongside some of the Portuguese ace’s former team-mates, including the likes of Wayne Rooney. Not only that, but he came up against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner during his spells in La Liga with Real Zaragoza and Athletic Bilbao.
Herrera of course left Old Trafford for PSG back in 2019, and last summer was joined in the French capital by Messi following his shock departure from Barcelona. Despite establishing himself as one of football’s greatest ever players in Spain, the Argentine struggled in his first campaign away from the Nou Camp.
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Messi scored just 11 goals in all competitions last season, including six Ligue 1 strikes, to leave him with his lowest tally since emerging as a teenager at Barcelona. Herrera though has defended his team-mate’s record, and given him his backing in the debate with Ronaldo.
"You are asking for 50 goals per season," Herrera told AS (via The Mail ). "From there, if he doesn't score them, people talk.
"Nor should we forget that Leo has had the all-time record in Ligue 1 - he has hit the post 10 times! If he had scored 10 more goals, it would (have) been a very good season for Leo."
Herrera added: “For me, he is the best of all time, without any discussion. Now I admire him even more for how he manages his day to day life with total humility, (and) always with a smile for people."
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