Roma defender Kostas Manolas says Lionel Messi is only the fifth best attacker he has faced in his career.
The Greek international conducted an interview with the Giallorossi’s official website and was asked to name the top five forwards he has played against.
Though there are few surprises on his shortlist of Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 25-year-old explained the reasoning behind the Argentina captain was only coming fifth.
Roma defender Kostas Manolas says Lionel Messi is only the fifth best attacker he has faced in his career.
The Greek international conducted an interview with the Giallorossi’s official website and was asked to name the top five forwards he has played against.
Though there are few surprises on his shortlist of Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 25-year-old explained the reasoning behind the Argentina captain was only coming fifth.
“He is not an out and out striker, so I haven’t marked him directly and it’s only because of that that I put him in fifth place in this list,” Manolas commented.
“But he is someone who with his speed goes through opponents like bowling pins and in front of goal he always knows the right thing to do, whether it be to shoot or pass to an unmarked teammate. He always finds the best solution.”
The former Olympiakos player then paid tribute to his other four choices, highlighting what he believes are each of their best qualities.
“I faced Ibrahimovic in the 2013-14 Champions League when Olympiakos played against PSG in the Group Stage.
“Ibra is a force of nature, you practically can’t keep up with him during the match because he has an incredible physicality.
“I faced Suarez this year in the 2015-16 Champions League against Barcelona. He is someone who wants to score and who sees the goal.
“He is ferocious, tough to keep at bay and lethal in front of goal.
“Benzema is also a difficult opponent. He is complete, because he is physically strong and very technical.
“He is another tricky customer for us defenders. When physicality and quality come together it isn’t easy to find the answer for us defenders.
“Ronaldo is a phenomenon. He has everything – dribbling, knows where the goal is, physical strength.
“During the tie against Real Madrid last year he had two chances across the home and away legs and he scored. Lethal.”