“Follow Ronaldo, Not Messi”: Juventus legend Claudio Marchisio urges young footballers to emulate Portugal star

Argentina icon Lionel Messi and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo are widely regarded as two of the greatest footballers in history, a claim backed by the pair winning a combined 13 Ballon d’Or awards.

While both players have legions of fans, Juventus legend Claudio Marchisio recently praised Ronaldo, highlighting the Portugal forward’s work ethic as a model for aspiring footballers. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Marchisio urged young players to follow Ronaldo’s example.

“Follow Cristiano Ronaldo’s example. If you have to find something in a player to become great champions, follow an example like his and not like Messi’s. Why? He was already a star, but he has to build himself even more. He worked very hard to get where he is, the other (Messi) was a talent blessed by the Lord, who hardly even needed to train,” Marchisio said.

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Marchisio, who played briefly alongside Ronaldo after the striker’s 2018 move from Real Madrid to Juventus, recalled the excitement surrounding his arrival in Turin.

🗣️ Claudio Marchisio: “Follow Cristiano Ronaldo’s example closely. If you have to look to a player as a model to become a great champion, take someone like him and not like Messi.” pic.twitter.com/zcd1dhVM64

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“There was a lot of pressure, but also a lot of excitement in the air, in the whole environment. You think you are from Juventus, that you are used to the arrival of great champions. However, that atmosphere in the locker room. I still remember that day, when I walked in there. Andrea Barzagli and I were there and we had already seen names like Carlos Tevez, other great champions. But Cristiano Ronaldo made everyone think ‘a superstar is really about to arrive,’” he added.

A product of the Juventus youth system, Marchisio spent the majority of his career with his hometown club, making 389 appearances and scoring 37 goals while winning seven Serie A titles, three Supercoppa Italiana honors, and four Coppa Italia trophies.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, thrived during his three seasons in Italy, scoring 101 goals in 134 appearances. He led Juventus to consecutive league titles in 2018–19 and 2019–20, the 2020–21 Coppa Italia, and the 2018 and 2020 Supercoppa Italiana.

Individually, Ronaldo also claimed the Capocannoniere (Serie A Golden Boot) in 2020–21 and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year twice, in 2019 and 2020. However, the one criticism of his Italian tenure was his inability to deliver a UEFA Champions League title — the primary reason Juventus signed him — with the club having last won the European crown in 1996.

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