Messi vs Ronaldo: Man City Star Gives Verdict On Debate To Determine Best Player In The World

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has insisted that the debate involving Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which is to determine who the best player is in the world is “not debatable”. He also believes everyone must feel privileged to be able to watch them play.

Silva, who currently plays in the Premier League, is Ronaldo’s teammate in the Portugal national team. Silva has admitted that it is "special" to train and play alongside the Juventus superstar. Ronaldo and Silva were a part of the Portugal side that clinched the inaugural UEFA Nations League last year by defeating the Netherlands in the final.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who has scored 29 goals in 143 matches for Man City across tournaments, also went on to hail Ronaldo’s ethics off the pitch.

“It will be something special and unique to tell my kids and grandkids I was able to give him some assists. He's an example on and off the pitch. With Portugal, we train in the morning. In the afternoon, everyone plays cards or PlayStation, but he goes to the gym,” Silva told BBC Sport.

He further added, "In the big moments, when you need him the most, he's always there.”

When asked about the debate involving Messi and Ronaldo that is now over a decade old, Silva gave a diplomatic answer.

“Its a debate that's not debatable. I think we need to feel privileged to be able to watch them at the same time together. They are two of the best players ever - if not the two best players ever,” said Silva, who has scored six goals for Portugal since his international debut in 2015.

Messi recently etched another record and not surprisingly, the only player who is close to matching the feat is Ronaldo. Messi now has scored 20+ goals in each of the last 12 seasons, while Ronaldo has done that in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The next in the list are Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (eight seasons), Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero (seven seasons), and Messi’s Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez (six seasons).