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Nani, a former standout player for Manchester United and Portugal who has shared the field with the great striker Cristiano Ronaldo, stated that he would like to play with the Argentine great Lionel Messi. Messi and Ronaldo are the greatest football players in the world because they have dominated the field for more than 20 years. They have each scored 850 goals in their decades of competition. A few more football players have been colleagues of these two great players over the years. But during his career, Nani, who played alongside Ronaldo in 130 games, was never allowed to play alongside Messi.
Nani, while speaking to Covers, explained how the Argentine legend fits well in MLS and would love to play alongside Messi. He said, I'm not surprised to see the success Lionel Messi has had in the MLS, he's also a superstar. When it comes to MLS, the league is built for superstars because it invests more in attacking players than defenders. The culture is to score goals; people are in the stadium to see goals, not the defending side. So it's natural that when Messi is there, with his quality and talent, he will shine and score goals. You just need to enjoy it. I'm really happy for him as well."
There shouldn't be any comparison between Lamine Yamal and Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Barcelona great Lamine Yamal should not be compared, according to Nani, who departed from the game in 2024. Since making his Barca debut at the age of 15, Yamal has proven to be the game's best forward. In his 115 games, Yamal recorded 29 goals and 39 assists. During Spain's run at Euro 2024, he was also named the Young Player of the Tournament.
Nani, while speaking at the Portugal Football Summit 2025, refused to compare Yamal with two legends. He said, “I don't think we can talk about it. We are destroying what we want him to reach. We don't want to talk about it, so he can reach it. The bad thing about human beings is that they talk until they reach it. We can't compete with Ronaldo or Messi. They have already done their thing, and they are doing very well. We are going to do this, whether less or more, we are going to applaud them because these are moments. We can't compare things."
