NEW DELHI: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola‘s recent comments on the historic rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have sparked a fresh wave of discussion and debate in the world of football.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the Spaniard opened up on a long-running rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo.
“No one could beat Messi, only Cristiano. Cristiano was a monster and the father of that monster is Messi. The two have achieved something incredible in the last 20 years,” said Guardiola.
Guardiola’s remarks came on the back of the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, where Manchester City’s Rodri emerged as the winner, breaking the long-standing duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo.
The Spanish midfielder’s triumph was celebrated as a victory for Spanish football and a recognition of the often-overlooked role of midfielders in the game.
Rodri’s win marked a significant milestone, as he became the first defensive midfielder to claim the Ballon d’Or since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 and only the third Spaniard to receive the honour, following in the footsteps of Alfredo Di Stefano and Luis Suarez.
His win is particularly noteworthy as it ends a long drought for Spanish players in the Ballon d’Or rankings, with no Spaniard having won the award since Luis Suarez in 1960, despite Spain’s “golden generation” achieving significant success on the international stage.
“Maybe Xavi and Iniesta deserved it at that time, so I think yesterday Rodri achieved what Spanish football deserved worldwide,” Guardiola further added.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony was massively dominated by Rodri’s compatriots, national teammate Lamine Yamal winning the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, Aitana Bonmati securing the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year, and Jennifer Hermoso being honoured with the Socrates Award for her role in the fight for women’s rights in football and her courageous stance against sexism in sport.
