Multi-champion coach says he prefers Cruzeiro idol to Cristiano Ronaldo

The comparison between the careers of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is still a subject of sporting debate. In an interview this Monday (22), coach Fabio Capello was categorical in placing the Argentine above the Portuguese and cited Ronaldo Nazário, who he referred to as “the fat one”, as better than his namesake who is now at Al- Nassr, from Saudi Arabia.

According to the Italian, it is a question of semantics. For him, there are few stars capable of being called “genius”. “He (Cristiano Ronaldo) is a great player. He won titles, Ballon d’Or, but he wasn’t as brilliant as Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great scorer and knows how to do everything, but he is not a genius”, defended the coach..

“I met Messi at the Joan Gamper Trophy and 20 or 25 minutes into the game, I looked for Rijkaard (then Barcelona coach) and asked him to loan me Messi for the season. He was a genius. Messi, Pelé and Maradona, yes, they were geniuses. I forgot one who could also enter: Ronaldo, the fat one”, concluded the commander.

At 77 years old, the coach was in charge of Real Madrid between 1996 and 1997 and between 2006 and 2007. He did not work with Cristiano, but was at the merengue club during Ronaldo’s last months in Spain. Capello won La Liga on two occasions, once in each spell.

In addition to the Spanish club, the coach has already managed Milan, Roma, Juventus and the English and Russian teams. During his seasons in Italy, Capello won awards for the country’s best coach five times. For Italian clubs, he has 13 titles, in addition to the Italian Championship from the 2005/06 season, revoked after the discovery of match-fixing scandals.

*With agencies