Messi or Ronaldo? Barcelona star a ´once-in-a-lifetime player´, says Giggs

Ryan Giggs described Lionel Messi as a “once in a lifetime player” after being asked for his verdict on the eternal debate over who is better between the Barcelona forward and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The superstar duo dominated the Ballon d’Or voting for more than a decade, winning it five times apiece before Luka Modric broke their stranglehold in 2018.

Messi has spent his entire senior career with Barcelona while Ronaldo has starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus.

Giggs played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford and said he will always back his former team-mate but could not hide away from the fact a player of Messi’s quality is a one-off.

“Obviously I lean towards Ronaldo a little bit because I played with him and saw him develop as a player,” he told DAZN. “But Messi is a genius, a once-in-a-lifetime player. It’s as simple as that.”

Confident for tomorrow  #ucl #liveahead #finoallafine #forzajuve pic.twitter.com/oYYM7nHqKq

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 21, 2019

Giggs is now in charge of the Wales senior side, where he coaches Ronaldo’s ex-team mate Gareth Bale, who is in his seventh season at Madrid. 

Bale came close to leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in the last transfer window, but a move to China collapsed and he has been used seven times in all competitions this season.

Giggs found Bale’s situation in the Spanish capital unusual given what he has achieved at the club.

“It’s strange. From the outside, it looks strange,” he said. “For the quality he possesses and what he’s won there: four Champions Leagues.

“I’m his coach for Wales, he’s recently been my captain, and is a good professional. He’s a player that can turn a game on its head like he did against Liverpool for Madrid.”