Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini once joked that it would be better if Real Madrid left Cristiano Ronaldo out of the squad to face his City side. The comments were made ahead of a Champions League group-stage tie in the 2012-13 campaign.
The Portuguese forward was in tremendous form for Los Blancos at that time and was one of the most feared forwards in the world. His rivalry with Lionel Messi was in full swing and had already taken the world by storm.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League tie in 2012, Mancini added that it is very difficult to mark both Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentinean.
“If Madrid leave Cristiano at home it’s better! Players like Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are very difficult to mark. We will have our game plan, but players like this can score a goal every game at any moment," said Mancini (via the club's official website).
