Former Manchester United and Portugal star Nani, who famously played alongside legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo, has expressed his wish to have shared the pitch with Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi have dominated football for nearly two decades and are widely regarded as two of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Each has scored over 850 career goals, and between them, they have won a combined total of 13 Ballon d’Or titles—five for Ronaldo and eight for Messi.
A select group of footballers have had the unique experience of being teammates with both icons, including Ángel Di María, Paulo Dybala, and Gonzalo Higuaín. Unfortunately for Nani, while he appeared alongside Ronaldo in 130 games (54 for Manchester United and 76 for Portugal), he never shared the field with Messi during his career.
In an exclusive interview with Covers, Nani discussed how Messi’s style of play fits perfectly in Major League Soccer (MLS) and how much he would have enjoyed playing alongside the Argentine superstar. The former Orlando City forward 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 they invest more in attacking players than defenders. The culture is to score goals—people come to the stadium to see goals, not defending. 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.
“I think he is one of the greatest in football history, and what he continues to do is special. Obviously, if I had the opportunity to play alongside him, it would be something extra for my career.”
After a stellar 20-year career, Nani retired from professional football in December 2024.
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### “Don’t think we can talk about it” – Nani responds when asked if Barcelona starlet can reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Former Manchester United and Portugal forward Nani recently weighed in on comparisons between Barcelona’s young sensation Lamine Yamal and the legendary forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Debuting for Barcelona’s senior team at just 15 years old in 2023, Yamal has quickly established himself as one of world football’s brightest young forwards. To date, he has scored 29 goals and registered 39 assists in 115 appearances for the Blaugrana. Yamal was also named the Young Player of the Tournament during Spain’s triumphant UEFA EURO 2024 campaign.
Speaking at the Portugal Football Summit in 2025, Nani praised the young Spaniard’s talents but firmly refused to compare him with the two football icons:
“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.”
Looking ahead, Yamal is set to feature in Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League clash against Club Brugge on Wednesday, November 5.
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*Edited by Aaryan Nagraj*
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-after-years-playing-together-cristiano-ronaldo-nani-makes-stance-clear-whether-loved-play-alongside-lionel-messi