Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone has sought to clear up his leaked comments about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup.
Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone has sought to clarify the comments he made about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup last month, saying he would "without a doubt" choose his countryman over the former Real Madrid striker.
In a leaked message to Atlético assistant Germán Burgos after the Messi's poor display in the Argentina's 3-0 defeat to Croatia, Simeone appeared to praise Portugal's Ronaldo - who had just scored a hat-trick against Spain and the winner against Morocco - at his rival's expense.
"Messi is very good, but..."
"Messi is very good, but he's very good because he's accompanied by fantastic players [at Barça]," Simeone told Burgos. "If you had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo for an average team, who would you go for?"
"I'd choose Messi, without a doubt"
However, speaking ahead of Atlético's International Champions Cup pre-season clash against Paris Saint-Germain in Singapore on Monday, Simeone declared: "I'd choose Messi [over Ronaldo], without a doubt.
"When I said what I did about Messi and Ronaldo, I wasn't talking about who is the best player in the world. I was saying that in a team of average players, Ronaldo would probably be a better fit. But, when surrounded by top players, Messi is the best in the world."