Giorgio Chiellini Comments On Messi, Ronaldo, Buffon’s Greatness

Former Italy defender, Giorgio Chiellini has refused to make up his mind on who is the greatest between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Giorgio Chiellini was part of the generation of defenders that had to face prime Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo almost every season for over 13 years.

While Chiellini, who attained legendary status at Juventus and Italy’s national football team, wouldn’t choose who is the greatest between Messi and Ronaldo, the retired defender said the players are the toughest footballers he faced during his football career.

Recall that Giorgio Chiellini played alongside Ronaldo at Juventus between 2018 and 2021 after playing against him for years.

Another legendary player who played alongside Ronaldo and Chiellini at Juventus was Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon.

The former Italian defender told FIFA’s official website that Buffon is the best goalie of all time and stressed that Ronaldo is among the greatest of all time.

“Buffon is the best goalkeeper in the history of football, while, depending on your viewpoint, Cristiano is among the top two, three, four or five in the history of the sport,” Chiellini said.

“He is definitely in the pantheon of football greats.”

Giorgio Chiellini continued, “The toughest ones I’ve faced are Messi and Ronaldo himself. A lot of people ask me, ‘ Who is better: Messi or Ronaldo?’, a bit like you might with LeBron James and Michael Jordan. I don’t see it as a competition, both are at the top.”