Coach Capello described the Portuguese icon as an excellent player, but not a genius compared to his Argentine opponent. Fabio Capello clearly stated: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, a great striker. He has won the European Championship and the Golden Ball, but cannot compare to Messi.
In my opinion, Ronaldo is a very good football player, but not an outstanding genius like Messi. The Argentinian player has all the ingredients to become the greatest legend in soccer history that I think no one will be able to defeat in about 100 years.”
The former England national football team strategist also expressed his opinion on Barcelona’s promising young talent, Lamine Yamal, but still affirmed that this 16-year-old right winger is not as good as Lionel Messi. The comparison between the two La Masia alumni began last summer, after Lamine produced an outstanding performance against Tottenham Hotspur and contributed to victory for the Catalans in a fraction of the time. 10 minutes on the field.
Back in 2005, Messi showed his excellent football ability against Juventus. Later, Capello, when in charge of Juventus, was so impressed with Messi that he approached Barcelona colleague Frank Rijkaard to ask if the young Argentine would be willing to go on loan that season.
Remembering that moment, Fabio Capello said: “I discovered Messi at Gamper and after 20-25 minutes of the match, I approached Rijkaard and asked him to loan him for the season. From the beginning, I know Messi is a genius.”
Giving his opinion on Lamine Yamal, the former coach of AC Milan said: “Yamal is a quality and very interesting player, but he will not be a genius. Messi, Pele and Maradona are geniuses.” talent. Cristiano Ronaldo is very close to them.”
Lamine Yamal made his debut on April 29, 2023, against Real Betis in La Liga, making him the youngest player to appear for Barcelona’s first team since 15-year-old Armando Sagi, almost a century ago. ago in 1922. As part of the squad, this young Spaniard won the La Liga championship in the 2022–2023 season.
