Fabio Capello says Lionel Messi represents genius and Cristiano Ronaldo strength

Nick Watkins - Writer 09:15 08/01/2019
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  • Football royalty: Fabio Capello speaking at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

    Fabio Capello hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as “Superman” at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, which saw both men pick up gongs for their achievements in the game.

    Former Real Madrid and England Head Coach Capello, who enjoyed two seasons in charge of Ronaldo’s current side Juventus, was in Dubai to pick up the Coach Career Award at the 10thannual event.

    His comments came after Ronaldo’s recent suggestion that Lionel Messi should leave Barcelona in order to compete with his own achievements. “Lionel Messi is too important for Barcelona to leave,” said Capello, “but anything can happen, like Neymar leaving for PSG because they paid him so much money.” Speaking exclusively to Sport360 Capello continued: “The most important thing is to sell the player if they’re not happy at the club, and with big players like Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar it’s almost impossible to stop them leaving if they want to, especially if they’re not playing to the level they used to be. Messi and Ronaldo are different players, one is the genius and one is super strong like Superman. It’s a balance to who is better it depends which year you ask who is better because one season Messi is better and the next year it’s Ronaldo,” he added.

    Top two: The debate goes on as Capello calls Messi the genius and Ronaldo Superman

    Top two: The debate goes on as Capello calls Messi the genius and Ronaldo Superman

    The Globe Soccer Awards was part of a two-day event with a conference with speakers from the game including FIFA Deputy Secretary General Zvonimir Boban, and Liverpool CEO Peter Moore who discussed the changing landscape of football and the impact of players becoming their own brands, thanks largely to social media. Having managed Real Madrid during the famous Galacticos era, Capello is no stranger to dealing with the biggest stars in the game.

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    The genius and Superman! 🙌

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    “The most important thing when you buy a player is that it’s for the team, not for commercial value or shirt sales,” he told Sport360. “I think David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo improve the team they’ve played for, not just the club’s brand. Both are very serious players and Beckham was a great example to the other players in the England team because was so famous, so important, but he was a normal player in the dressing room and he showed others what they could do to improve the team. You can see that now Ronaldo has joined Juventus – the club is even more famous around the world and the team is like a machine.”

    Capello also confirmed he’s remaining retired from coaching and has turned down offers from a number of clubs to get back into management.

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