Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest players of all time, not just according to football fans around the world but from players in the past and in the present. Elite defenders from the past had to defend against Ronaldo and Messi, which was a very difficult task for them. One of those elite defenders was Giorgio Chiellini. The Italian defender played at Juventus for most of his career and had to face Messi and Ronaldo in the Champions League many times. The Italian was asked about the difficulty of defending Messi and Ronaldo, and he revealed which player was harder to play against. His reasoning was shocking as he said, "Messi never scored a goal when he played against me, while Cristiano did it in every possible way. Playing against Cristiano was not easy.”
Although Messi did not score against Giorgio Chiellini, he also mentioned how difficult it is to play against the Argentine compared to defending against Cristiano Ronaldo. Chiellini said, "How to defend against Cristiano Ronaldo? Don't give him any space and keep him off his right foot. How to defend against Messi? Praying."
Messi and Chiellini faced each other four times throughout their careers. They played against each other in the 2016/2017 Champions League quarterfinals. Messi and FC Barcelona lost 3-0 to Chiellini's Juventus in the first leg. The second leg finished 0-0. In 2022, Messi and Chiellini faced off in the Finalissima at Wembley Stadium in the Argentina vs Italy match. It was the champion of the EUROS 2020 against the 2021 Copa America winners. Argentina won 3-0, but Messi did not score in the match. The last time they faced off was in the MLS when Inter Miami defeated LAFC 3-1.
Chiellini and Ronaldo faced each other six times throughout their careers. Ronaldo won three games against the Italian defender, while Chiellini won two games ahead of the Portuguese icon. All of their games have been in Real Madrid and Juventus matches. The last time they faced. Juventus defeated Real Madrid 3-1 in the 17/18 Champions League quarterfinals, but Real Madrid advanced as they won the first leg 3-0.
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