Guti: Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo

Oct 5, 2012 7:45:00 PM

The retired midfielder made the claim ahead of this weekend’s much anticipated clash, while revealing that he nearly joined Argentine giants River Plate

Former Real Madrid star Guti believes that Lionel Messi is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 35-year-old played alongside the Portuguese international during his time at the club and came up against the Barcelona star on a number of occasions.

"I think both Messi and Cristiano are great players, but Messi is better," he is quoted as saying by Cadena Cope.

The 35-year-old is excited about this weekend’s clash between his former club and Barcelona but warns that Real must get something from the game due to the gap between the two sides in the table.

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He said: "For Barcelona there are three points at stake, and for Madrid it is a final, because if you lose its 11 points difference," he added.

The recently retired Spaniard also claimed that he was close to signing for River Plate before deciding that staying in Spain would be best for his family.

"I was 99 per cent going to play for River, but my wife and I thought about the situation and decided it was not convenient. Argentina is far away and she is pregnant and needs to be close to her family," he concluded.

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