‘He’s an exceptional guy’: Fred admits playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has changed his mind in the debate over whether his ‘role model’ team-mate is better than Lionel Messi
- Fred waded into debate over whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is better
- Manchester United midfielder Fred has now selected his superstar team-mate
- He admitted playing alongside Ronaldo this season has changed his decision
Fred has revealed that playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has changed his mind over whether his team-mate or Lionel Messi is better.
Ronaldo, who sealed a sensational Old Trafford homecoming in the summer, has regularly battled it out with Messi in the debate on who is the greatest of all time.
And despite the latter holding more Ballon d’Or gongs, seven to five, Fred is backing Ronaldo’s corner, hailing the superstar forward as an ‘exceptional guy’.
Fred chose Cristiano Ronaldo in the debate over who is better between him and Lionel Messi
He also admitted that he picked Messi in the past, before spending time rubbing shoulders with United’s current talisman over the course of this season.
‘I used to say Messi, it’s a style that I enjoy more,’ he told TNT Sports Brasil.
‘But after playing with Cristiano I can see closely the amount of work that he puts into every aspect of his football life.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Fred admitted playing alongside Ronaldo has changed his mind
Messi was previously picked by Fred, but Ronaldo’s Manchester United form saw him snubbed
‘On the pitch, he’s always in the right place at the right time. He’s the player with the highest ability to turn a game around I’ve ever seen. I choose him now [over Messi].
‘He’s an exceptional guy, on and off the pitch.
‘Every day he’s working to get even better and that’s important as an inspiration to all of us, especially the young players. He’s a role model.’
Ronaldo is set to be crucial for United in their crunch Champions League last-16 clashes against Atletico Madrid, with the first leg held in Spain this evening.
