In La Liga it is a debate we have each season: Who’s the best player 
in the world, Messi or Ronaldo? Well, with Portugal out of the World Cup
 and a Messi-inspired Argentina now through to the quarter-finals, the 
stage is set for him to confirm his place as No1. 
That is an opinion shared by Italy’s World Cup-winning defender, 
Alessandro Nesta, after Messi’s latest man-of-the-match performance saw 
him lay on the winning goal for Angel Di Maria to steer Argentina into 
an intriguing last-eight clash with Belgium. 
Messi’s own goals tally of four sees him sitting, menacingly, in 
joint second place in the race for the Golden Boot. They are the kind of
 qualities that make Nesta, a Sony Team Ambassador for the World Cup in 
Brazil, re-enter the discussion about who’s the best. 
“Globally, looking at the whole career, the highest peak is touched 
by Messi,” said Nesta. “Unfortunately, one year I played against him 
four times in a season, I’ve been very unlucky and already pretty old!
“He has something special, a real out of the ordinary player. CR7 is a
 great champion too, but Messi is special, is the toughest one for a 
defender. Messi can make ten sprints in a row, it’s impossible for you 
to stand against him.” 

 
NESTA Q2 ENGLISH from SONY FAN AMBASSADOR on Vimeo.


As the Swiss discovered, even deep into extra-time the Barca magician
 can find reserves of stamina and strength to produce a match-winning 
moment, drawing in defenders on one of his mazy runs before his 
exquisite assist for Di Maria. “You’re already more than tired while 
he’s fresh and reactive, there’s no match against him, he keeps the ball
 like no one else,” added Nesta. 
“CR7 radically changed his style of play. I remember when I met him 
in Manchester, he was very tricky, a dribbling-lover, now he is much 
more effective, he always shots on target, he’s very dangerous just for 
this. He changed a lot his style, now he uses his skills to be more 
effective rather than just to make a show.” 
But if Messi can add a World Cup to his glittering collection on July 13, the perennial debate may well come to a close. 


http://fan.football.sony.net/blog/2014/07/02/nesta-messi-tops-ronaldo/?ICID=HP_HN_1