Messi or Ronaldo? When Paolo Maldini answered and named his 3 toughest opponents

Paolo Maldini is many fans' pick for the greatest male defender in football history.

A Champions League-winning captain who only dived in when it was absolutely necessary, Maldini is a god of Italian football who elevated the art of defending to heights never seen before.

Oh, and he also happens to be an AC Milan legend who amassed a barely believable 902 appearances between 1984 and 2009.

The legend of Maldini

So, it's fair to say that he's a somewhat revered figure when it comes to assessing the relationship at the heart of the beautiful game: defence vs attack.

And when your career spans almost four decades, we can also uncontroversially assume that you have a pretty good idea on how that dynamic has changed, evolved and progress over the years.

Besides, Maldini was there holding the fort for AC Milan back in the day of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge just as he was upon the emergence of Mario Balotelli and Alexandre Pato.

Who are Maldini's toughest opponents?

So it's only inevitable that fans, journalists and no doubt ex-teammates have all clambered over each other since Maldini's retirement to ask one question above every other: who were your toughest ever opponents?

It is, after all, ultimately fascinating to speculate on who the greatest defender in history would name as the player who gave him the most bother across his illustrious career.

Now, Maldini has evidently been asked the million-dollar question, well, a million times, so it's worth saying that he's probably answered it differently depending on the year and circumstances.

Maldini's amazing answer featuring Messi

But there was one particularly fascinating occasion where he responded to it in a way that always sticks out in our minds because it just so happens to involve Lionel Messi.

The most knowledgeable readers amongst you will be thinking: 'hold on a second, Maldini never faced Messi,' and that's exactly what made the Italian's answer this time around so brilliant.

As shown in a press conference clip posted by ESPN in 2018, Maldini's mere mention of Messi while reeling off his three toughest opponents was enough to underline his love for the Paris Saint-Germain star.

So, come for Maldini's answer to the question at hand and stay for the brilliant exchange with a reporter that summed up Messi's magnificence by watching the footage down below:

Maldini began: "First of all, I have had the chance to play against great, great players and I think the best ones were, of course, [Diego] Maradona when he played for Napoli, Ronaldo when he played for Inter – Brazilian Ronaldo – and I didn't play against Messi because he was injured, thank God he was injured.

To which, a reporter chimed in: "He was lucky…"

Only for Maldini to respond: "No, no, I was lucky. I also played against [Michel] Platini, so a long, long time ago. So these three maybe were the best I played against."

You love to see it. Not only is it gripping to learn that Maldini considers Maradona, Ronaldo and Platini to be his toughest opponents, but it's class to see him insisting that he was lucky that Messi and him never came face to face.

Maldini on Messi vs Ronaldo

And certainly at the time, Maldini considered the Barcelona icon to have the upper hand in the eternal Cristiano Ronaldo debate.

According to ESPN's subtitles, Maldini had said: "I know Messi very well and I know Ronaldo very well, who have between them won the Ballon d'Or for the past 10 years.

"Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? In my opinion, Messi might edge it, but Ronaldo is also a top player and a strong individual. But I prefer Messi."

When Ronaldo met Maldini

It is, of course, also interesting to note that Ronaldo – the Portuguese one, that is – was absent from Maldini's picks for his toughest ever opponents despite having gone toe-to-toe with the Manchester United star.

However, let's just say that CR7 not quite making the cut becomes a lot more understandable when you remember what happened when the young star went to war with Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Jaap Stam and Cafu.

We'll just have to live with never knowing how a young Messi would have fared by comparison…