Casemiro on Messi vs. Ronaldo: “I Needed Kroos, Modric, Ramos”

Manchester United’s Casemiro opened up about the challenges he faced when trying to stop Lionel Messi, whom he regards as one of the greatest players in football history. The experienced midfielder had numerous on-field confrontations with Messi during his time at Real Madrid, while Messi was the standout player for Barcelona. Despite their intense battles, the two maintained a respectful relationship.

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Casemiro also teamed up with Messi’s main rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, at Real Madrid and Manchester United, working alongside the Portuguese forward to counter Messi during his time at Barcelona. Recently, when asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo, Casemiro began by praising the former Barcelona star. “I could never stop him alone,” the United midfielder told Diario AS. “It was impossible.”

Casemiro Reflects on the Challenges of Stopping Messi

The accomplished midfielder, who won three consecutive Champions League titles with Madrid, acknowledged that he required help from his midfield teammates and defender Sergio Ramos to contain Messi. Over his European club career, Messi scored 26 goals and provided 14 assists against Real Madrid, leading his team to victory in 20 out of 47 encounters.

“I needed assistance from Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos… but alone, it was impossible. He was unstoppable,” he explained. “It’s hard to describe,” he added. Meanwhile, Casemiro mentioned they also had one of the greatest players in football history, Ronaldo, and stated that the two footballers revolutionized the game.

“Messi is one of the greatest players in history, but we also had Cristiano Ronaldo. What they both accomplished is unmatched. In my generation, the best were Cristiano and Messi… they contributed so much to football and transformed it,” he added. The Brazilian midfielder likened Messi and Ronaldo’s influence on football to Pep Guardiola, who transformed the game with tiki-taka.

“Just as Guardiola revolutionized football with tiki-taka, these two did the same. Scoring 50 goals a season became something ordinary. Those two players will always be remembered,” he added. Meanwhile, Casemiro is facing challenging times at Manchester United, with the team suffering 12 losses in 25 Premier League matches this season and currently sitting in 15th place. If the situation doesn’t improve, a complete overhaul could be on the horizon in the next summer transfer window, which may include Casemiro’s departure from the club.

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