Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the best players in the world and they have remained undisputed for over a decade. It is an honor for players to play alongside these two greats however, not many have played alongside the both of them. Only 13 players in the world have played with both the players and Gonzalo Higuain is the one who has played the most with both the players. Recently, the Argentine striker has come out and spoken about his partnership with both legends and how he believed that he was one of the best players to have played with them.
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The 33-year-old striker is now playing in Major League Soccer but in his prime, he played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Juventus and with Messi in the Argentine national team. Higuain was considered one of the best strikers in the world during his prime however, he was heavily criticized after his 2014 FIFA World Cup performance where he missed a host of chances in the finals.
Higuain on playing alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
He was also a great teammate for the Portuguese, both at Los Blancos and at the Old Lady. He has now moved to Inter Miami and is in the final stretch of his footballing career. However, he believes that he was one of the best in the world back in the days and Messi and Ronaldo both enjoyed playing with him. He said in an interview with La Nacion,
"“If I am the footballer who has played most with the two, then I was the guy who best understood both of them,”“To understand Cristiano and Messi… it’s not their problem, it’s up to you. If I played the most with them, it’s because I understand them both perfectly. I knew what they liked, what they didn’t like, how they felt most comfortable and most uncomfortable.”Source Goal"
He went on to say that both the players trusted him and liked playing with him as he did not depend upon them 100 percent of the time. Higuain said that they understood that while playing with him, they did not have to take responsibility all the time, and thus they enjoyed playing alongside him. He said,
"“When they have a player on their side who depends on them 100%, they don’t feel they are free of all responsibility. But with me, I think they felt they could count on me. They are two totally different players and I had the privilege of enjoying and learning from both.”"
He went on to conclude the interview by saying that he is no longer the striker that he used to be however, he very much believes that he was the best striker in the world prior to his 2014 World Cup disaster. However, he also said that he is happy now in the MLS and he does not bother himself with critics too much. There have been rumors of Messi potentially joining Higuain at Miami however, nothing has been made clear as of now and his career is still up in the air for speculation.
Do you believe Higuain to be the best play to have played alongside both Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?