Roberto Donadoni has stated that he prefers Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, believing that he has superior technical ability and is makes the difference more often than the Portuguese forward.
Donadoni, the former AC Milan winger who is regarded as one of the greatest Italian players of all time, began by speaking about the difficulty of comparing great players in different eras.
“I don’t like making comparisons between [Diego] Maradona and [Lionel] Messi, or when they used to make comparisons between Diego or Pele,” Donadoni said in an interview with Ole.
“The eras are different. I like Maradona and I like Messi. I like Messi a lot.
However, with Messi and Ronaldo playing in the same era, Donadoni felt that comparison was justified, before revealing which player he prefers.
“Now, when they speak about Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Donadoni went on, “in terms of characteristics, I like Messi more than Ronaldo because he is a different player technically.
“When I watch a match, Messi impresses me more. Ronaldo scores a lot of goals, of course, but I believe that Messi makes the difference more on the pitch.
He went on to give lavish praise on Lautaro Martinez, the Argentine forward who enjoyed a magnificent season as Inter won the Scudetto for the first time since 2009/10.
“Lautaro is a good player,” Donadoni insisted, “with good technique, he is quick, intelligent and he is always dangerous inside the area.
“He has a strong character, which was why [his row] with [Antonio] Conte took place; but they were fine after as they took the heat out of the situation with sympathy and with the boxing match. I believe that Lautaro can be a star.”
