MANCHESTER UNITED legend Ryan Giggs has picked “once in a lifetime” superstar Lionel Messi over former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player on the planet.
The Wales boss was asked who he thought was a better player by a DAZN reporter – surprisingly opting against his old pal.
Giggs said he wants to “lean towards” Ronaldo, but claimed the overall decision to pick Messi was “simple”.
When asked “Messi or Ronaldo?”, Giggs replied: “Obviously I lean towards Ronaldo a little bit because I played with him and saw him develop as a player.
“But Messi is a genius, he’s a once in a lifetime player. It’s as simple as that.”
Giggs went on to have his say on Bale‘s difficult spell at Real Madrid, with the Welsh winger still on the books of Los Blancos despite a turbulent summer.
The former Spurs star’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, slammed the Real Madrid hierarchy for their behaviour, with boss Zinedine Zidane only playing him due to an injury crisis at the Bernabeu.
And Giggs revealed: “It’s strange. From the outside, it looks strange.
“For the quality he possesses and what he’s won there: four Champions Leagues.
“I’m his coach for Wales, he’s recently been my captain, and is a good professional.
“He’s a player that can turn a game on its head like he did against Liverpool for [Real] Madrid.”
Bale played seven matches in all competitions for Real early in the season, but has failed to play since the 4-2 win over Granada on October 24.
However, he did score in his last match – the 1-1 Euro 20202 qualifying draw with Croatia for Wales.
