Toby Alderweireld claims Cristiano Ronaldo is no match for ‘unprecedented’ Lionel Messi as he weighs in on GOAT debate
CRISTIANO RONALDO doesn't come close to Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate.
That is the view of Toby Alderweireld, who opened up on his time playing against the pair.
Speaking , he said: "I usually read the play on the field and often I succeed.
"But Messi…ooh. One night at Wembley when we (Tottenham) lost 4-2 against Barcelona, he was unprecedented… really unprecedented.
"You can’t get a grip on him. Everything he does, he does it just that little bit faster than you. He does this, then he does that, it goes so fast. I really had a feeling I couldn’t do anything against him.
"You just hope time goes as fast as possible."
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
"We got back into the game which was positive and negative. We started attacking more but I had to face him even more one-on-one because there was more space.
"That’s the thing, you don’t know what he’s going to do. That’s the special thing, you can’t train for that.
"You try to get in duels with him. He looks like a slender guy so you try to get physical.
"But he’s not slender at all, if you look at his thighs you think…wow. He is so fast. The quality, the ball control, It’s not normal."
Most read in Sport
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
The former Tottenham and Atletico Madrid defender currently plays for Jupiler Pro League side Royal Antwerp.
The 33-year-old starred in his sides 2-0 win over STVV, chipping in with an assist as well to keep his side's Belgian league title charge on track.
"I played against Ronaldo many times. Of course, his numbers don’t lie.
"But Messi was the best because he is simply elusive. You can’t get hold of him," he added.
Other stars have also had their say in the debate of who is the GOAT.
Read More on The Sun
Messi looks back to his best after a slow year last time out, with eight goals and eight assists for Paris Saint-Germain already this season.
On the other hand, Ronaldo has struggled for both game time and goalscoring form this season, with just one goal to his name from just four starts in all competitions.
