Former Spain and Barcelona midfield great Xavi has
countered claims that he said Cristiano Ronaldo was not intelligent as compared
to Lionel Messi.
The Spaniard, currently plying his trade with Al
Sadd SC in the Qatar Stars League, was quoted in The New Arab where he spoke
about the difference between the Portuguese forward and Messi.
Comparisons between the two stars have always
attracted strong interest, and in a week where Ronaldo helped Madrid secure a
Champions League semifinal spot, while Messi failed to score again as Barca
crashed out of the quarterfinals against Atletico Madrid, Xavi’s comments
fueled intense debate.
Xavi has since clarified his intentions, stating
that his quotes were lost in translation.
“The translation of what I said was erroneous,” Xavi
told AS.
“I said that there are two types of speed in
football. There is the physical side, and in this aspect
Messi and Cristiano
are at the same level.
“And then there is the speed at which you are able
to connect with your teammates, and in this aspect Messi is of the highest
level, whereas Cristiano is not.
“Cristiano does not seem like a player who excels at
linking up with his teammates. He is not a passer of the ball and that is why
Messi is the best in the world for me. He has both kinds of speed, both the
physical one and the one that allows him to link up with his teammates.
“I never talked about intelligence and I never said
Cristiano lacks intelligence.”
Neither player will be focusing on Xavi’s comments,
with the La Liga title battle going down the wire with Barcelona holding a
four-point lead over Madrid, who are in third place with Atletico Madrid in
second on 73.
Should Madrid and Barcelona fail to win against
Getafe and Valencia respectively, Atletico could go level on points with Barca
with a home win against Granada.
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