Former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp has hailed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as extraordinary, expressing awe at their enduring brilliance during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In a chat with Tribal Football, the German tactician praised Messi’s tactical genius and record-breaking scoring, while applauding 41-year-old Ronaldo’s relentless intensity and strong bounce-back mentality after facing early-tournament criticism.
Read Also:I Won’t Retire From Football After World Cup 2026 –Messi
“As a mere spectator, it naturally captivates me a bit because they are the best players of the last ten, fifteen years.
“But what was great to see was this: after the first game, in which Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily criticized – even I noticed that – to then strike back like that, and at 41 years old with an extremely lively, intense performance, I was very pleased.
“The fact that he’s still so bothered at his age when something doesn’t work out is extraordinary, and his reaction is all the more impressive.”
“It’s extraordinary that we get to experience this generation. It’s special. And when we briefly saw each other on the sidelines and Messi kindly included us in the line of well-wishers, even as a 59-year-old, I realised just how special something like that can be.
Read Also:World Cup 2026: It’s Historic –Broos Celebrates South Africa’s Qualification To Knockout Stages
“Because it was special. I was just as happy to see my former player Alexis Mac Allister and have a quick chat with him. But then Messi came along. And that’s something else entirely.”
Messi now has 18 total World Cup goals for his illustrious career, while Ronaldo has 10 as both Argentina and Portugal push on to the next round.
