Miralem Pjanic has named Lionel Messi as his preferred team-mate over Cristiano Ronaldo, although the former midfielder said both players belong in a category of their own.
Speaking about his career at the Trento Sports Festival, Pjanic was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport as describing Messi and Ronaldo as “two aliens”.
“Throughout my career, I’ve played alongside many talented players, with Messi and Ronaldo being particularly outstanding,” Pjanic said. “Between these two aliens, I choose Messi.”
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Juventus, said Messi’s ability was impossible to explain.
“His talent is inexplicable, like a gift from God,” he added. “He makes difficult things seem simple, which is astonishing.”
Pjanic also praised Ronaldo’s impact, saying the Portugal forward’s goalscoring mentality and psychological strength made him an exceptional player.
“Ronaldo is equally special; when playing with him, it always felt like we were starting with a 1-0 lead,” said Pjanic.
“His obsession with scoring is remarkable, and his mental strength is something that should be taught in schools.”
The former Juventus and Barcelona player described Ronaldo’s career as an example of perseverance and ambition, while also recalling the difficulty of sharing free-kick duties with him.
“His journey is an anthem to never giving up and constantly striving for greater heights,” Pjanic said.
“However, taking free kicks with him was truly difficult. Once he decided who would take it, no one could change his mind; he had to leave the field first before others had a chance.”
