Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is hesitant to call Messi the GOAT since he has trained so many Ballon D’Or winners in his managerial career.
Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022 and was named the tournament’s best player, putting an end to the GOAT debate, according to many pundits.
đ Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time.
đ The GOAT#FIFAWorldCup|#Messiđ”|#GOATđ” pic.twitter.com/fdkPCX8jcm
— FIFA World Cup Stats (@alimo_philip) December 20, 2022
But Carlo Ancelotti is not one of them because, in his opinion, he has witnessed a number of outstanding footballers in his lifetime, with Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona appearing to be the best among them.
Speaking at Real Madrid’s pre-match press conference on Thursday morning, Ancelotti said: âIt’s difficult to say, I don’t know if he’s the best in history. It’s not fair to say that, because each era has very good players. ‘Messi is the best in history’ won’t come out of my mouth.â
I like this from Ancelotti.
Greatest of all time conversations are such a waste of time.
Di Stefano, Puskas, Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Cruyff, Best, and others are all up there. Trying to single one out seems pointless. pic.twitter.com/FxP1Gs78Ij
— Tom Pearson (@tom7p) December 30, 2022
He went on to add: âI’ve enjoyed so many good players… I train the Ballon d’Or every day. And I’ve seen Cruyff, Maradona play…â
Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool player turned pundit, posted on Twitter that Messi is the best player who has ever played the game. Declan Rice, a fellow Englishman, has expressed similar sentiments.
Here's @Carra23's top five players of all time đ
Agree? pic.twitter.com/m6Dnryphuu
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 19, 2022
Earlier, Portugal was knocked out by Morocco in the World Cup 2022 quarterfinals, which certainly hurts Cristiano Ronaldo’s cause, and Messi’s victory is a disaster to add to his misery.
However, by not mentioning Messi as the GOAT, Ronaldoâs former manager Carlo Ancelotti is doing him a favor. Ancelotti is currently busy with his team Real Madrid as there is a long season awaits and he would love to win the UCL back-to-back lots will depend on the players like Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Jr.
When asked about Eden Hazard, the Italian manager said: âI see Hazard well, he has trained well. I see him better than before the World Cup. He has done a good job and I am going to use the entire squad.â
Discussing about the return date of Benzema, the Real Madrid boss said, âHe did not enter into that decision. With us he has returned a highly motivated player and we are convinced that in the second season he will do a lot for us.”
Real Madrid will face Real Valladolid on December 31st to restart the season, and they will be hoping to end the year on a high note.
