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Chelsea defender Thiago Silva chose Lionel Messi as the harder to defend against over Cristiano Ronaldo. Silva's comments came in November 2021 following Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League.
Silva has been one of the best defenders in the league since joining Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the 2020 summer transfer window. He was also considered among the world's finest during his time in France and in Italy with AC Milan.
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When asked about the difference between facing the two behemoths of world football, Silva explained that Lionel Messi was more difficult to defend against. He reasoned that the Argentine is lethal with the ball in any situation, while Ronaldo can be kept in check via one-on-one marking.
"The small difference is that Messi, with the ball in a one-on-one or a two-on-one, is difficult to stop. With Ronaldo, I am not saying that it is easy, but one player can mark and the other can monitor - doing that gives you more security at the back," he told ESPN.
The Brazilian defender clubbed compatriot Neymar with the two as well. Although Silva acknowledged that the trio are capable of great things on the football pitch, he proceeded to pick Messi as the hardest to face.
"However, Messi and Ronaldo are both players capable of incredible things - like Neymar. I believe, though, that it is harder to defend against Messi than it is against Ronaldo," Silva added.
Lionel Messi arguably ends GOAT debate with Cristiano Ronaldo following FIFA World Cup win
While many refrained from picking a side in the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate, Argentina's Qatar World Cup victory has seemingly put a rest to it. Lionel Messi led from the front to lead his country to their third World Cup title.
He scored seven goals, including two in the final, and assisted three in the tournament to also be named the Player of the Tournament. Ronaldo, meanwhile, was relegated to the bench by then-Portugal boss Fernando Santos after one match.
His side ultimately were knocked out of the competition in the quarterfinals by Morocco.
