The former Argentina manager Alfio Basile has said that Cristiano Ronaldo might be a great player, but he is easily overtaken by the Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Alfio Basile reckons that one of the main attributes that makes Cristiano Ronaldo hugely successful is his incredible speed. However, the Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has the ability to run at a much higher speed with the ball at his feet rather than without it. This incredible phenomenon has made the Argentine superstar incredibly successful over the past five seasons. He has said that it will be until a few more years before Cristiano Ronaldo can reach the records set by Lionel Messi.

The Portuguese attacker managed to lift the la Liga title from hands of Lionel Messi last season. He scored a quite spectacular 60 goals in all competitions, but Lionel Messi once again managed to go one better than him scoring 73 goals. Alfio Basile reckons that the difference between the two players will exist as long as they continue to play at the top level because of the skills of Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA world player of the year award once in his career, but Lionel Messi has managed to lift this trophy in three successive occasions.

“You cannot compare anyone to Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great human player, but Messi is a Martian. He can run with the ball at an even higher speed than without the ball. It’s as if he’s playing another sport. It’s nearly impossible to do the things he does at that speed. He just keeps getting better and is always improving. Pele was an absolute monster and had a fantastic physique. Maradona was another genius and better in tight spaces. Diego was the team’s leader, whereas Pele was more of an individual player,” said Alfio Basile.