Gerard Pique has now revealed the key difference of playing alongside Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona icon Lionel Messi in his career.
The 39-year-old Spaniard arrived at Old Trafford in 2004 from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and crossed paths with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Red Devils.
Ronaldo had been brought to Manchester United, ahead of Pique signing for the club, after Sir Alex Ferguson snapped up the Portuguese forward from Sporting CP.
Pique witnessed the 41-year-old United legend’s rise to superstardom before the former Red Devils defender later played alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
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Lionel Messi walks past Cristiano Ronaldo during the Riyadh Season Cup football match between the Riyadh All Stars and Paris Saint-Germain at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh in 2023.
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
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Gerard Pique explains the importance of Cristiano Ronaldo’s work ethic compared with Lionel Messi’s natural talent
Gerard Pique’s time under iconic former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson came to an end in 2008 and Barcelona re-signed the ex-centre-back.
The former Spain international would become a key defender for Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and enjoyed an incredible trophy haul at the La Liga club.
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Lionel Messi, who is considered one of the best players of all time, was a key part of Barcelona’s success and Pique witnessed the Argentina icon’s brilliance first-hand.
Speaking on The Late Run podcast, Pique insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable work ethic stood out more than what he saw from Messi’s natural ability.
“For me, Messi is the best in the world,” he said, as per Bola na Rede.
“The level of talent he has, I haven’t seen in anyone else. But it’s very true that Cristiano was a machine who worked like crazy every day.”
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Gerard Pique’s verdict on the standout detail for Cristiano Ronaldo being different to Lionel Messi
During his time at Old Trafford, Pique lifted a Premier League title, a Champions League trophy and a League Cup before Barcelona brought him back to Spain.
Following his return to the Camp Nou, the 2010 World Cup winner captured nine La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and seven Copa del Reys with Barcelona.
Pique said that former Man Utd teammate Ronaldo is able to do anything that he puts his mind to on the pitch, while Messi’s natural talent does the talking for him.
“Cristiano is capable of doing anything well, while Messi is pure talent,” he continued.
“It depends on what you value more.”
Ronaldo has been with current side Al Nassr since 2023 after his second United exit, while Barcelona icon Messi has been signed with Inter Miami since 2023 as well.
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