Gary Neville’s former Manchester United teammate Luke Chadwick has disagreed with the Red Devils legend’s comments on Cristiano Ronaldo on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show.
Neville, alongside Sky Sports MNF co-host Jamie Carragher, discussed Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Man United in great detail as part of their coverage of Everton vs Burnley yesterday evening.
The pundit said live on the Sky Sports MNF show, “I do think he [Ronaldo] is the greatest football player that has ever lived.” Needless to say, Liverpool legend Carragher didn’t agree.
Perhaps surprisingly, neither does Luke Chadwick, a Man United academy product who played alongside Neville – and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – during his time at Old Trafford.
CaughtOffside have been exclusively speaking to Chadwick and asked if he agreed that Ronaldo is the game’s best ever.
“From watching football over the years, I’ve always been, and don’t get me wrong this is no disrespect to Cristiano Ronaldo, but I’ve always been a Messi man in terms of the way he plays football with complete freedom. The way he carries the ball, it’s just a joy to watch.”
The Ronaldo vs Messi debate has rolled on for many a year and is showing no sign of stopping. For almost 15 years the pair have been competing with each other for the individual accolades on offer in the game.
Both players ought to be appreciated without fans feeling the need to compare, but you sense there’s no prospect of that happening anytime soon, especially with the both of them having taken on new challenges this summer.
Chadwick, speaking to CaughtOffside, revealed that he feels privileged to have seen both players in their peaks, but Messi edges the debate in his mind.
“Ronaldo and Messi,” Chadwick continued. “I’d consider myself incredibly lucky growing up being able to see the pair of them play in their pomp. The fact they’ve been around together and continually push each other to raise their levels, I think we’ve all been incredibly fortunate to see that.”
“For me, Messi’s the best I’ve ever seen, but Ronaldo would be there in the top three. Maradona, Ronaldo and Messi are by far and away the best players I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch play football, but Messi just a little bit ahead for me.
Man United fans will be looking at Ronaldo through rose-tinted glasses for now and for the foreseeable, so credit to Chadwick for remembering all he’d seen prior to the 4-1 win over Newcastle United at the weekend.
Even if Ronaldo narrowly misses out on the number one spot for the former Man United, West Ham and Stoke City midfielder, he will still be confident in the Portuguese’s ability to deliver the Premier League title this term.
Man United are going to take some stopping this campaign if Ronaldo’s debut performance on Saturday afternoon was anything to go by.