Cristiano Ronaldo & Messi are from another galaxy, says Karanka

Dec 12, 2012 7:45:00 AM

Jose Mourinho's No.2 believes the two talismen are from out of this world, while their determination to be the best sees them push one another to new heights

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka has claimed that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are from "another galaxy" following their impressive performances over the past year.

The Barcelona star broke Gerd Muller's long-standing goalscoring record of 85 goals for club and country in one calendar year with his double against Betis at the weekend, while Ronaldo helped Madrid to the Liga title last term with 46 goals in 38 appearances.

"As I think the boss [Jose Mourinho] said after the Barcelona game, we are talking about players who are from a different galaxy and each of them is feeding off the other," Karanka said at a press conference.

"One beats a record and the next year the other one goes one better. Their respective clubs are fortunate to be able to enjoy their talent and exploit it to the utmost."

Ronaldo and Messi have both been nominated for the 2012 Fifa Ballon d'Or, with Andres Iniesta being the third candidate to win the prestigious individual award.

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!

play

open

Inside Goal.Com

Player Ratings: Siena 1-2 AC Milan
Goal was on hand to judge all the players as Allegri's men finished third in Serie A and secured a Champions League berth next season
Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-1 Valladolid
Goal rates the players on show as the newly-crowned Liga champions cruised past the challenge of Miroslav Djukic's men to keep up hopes of reaching 100 points
Arsenal hold their nerve in top-four battle
Arsene Wenger's side produced a clinical performance to secure a top-four Premier League finish but now they must kick on if they wish to challenge for honours next year
Player Ratings: Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal
Laurent Koscielny's 52nd-minute volley secured the Gunners the win over Alan Pardew's side and made sure they would be playing Champions League football next season
Player Ratings: West Brom 5-5 Man Utd
Sir Alex Ferguson was given a farewell to remember, but certainly not for the right reasons as the Romelu Lukaku-led hosts battled back from three goals down to earn an unlikely point