Former teammate shocks everyone when asked about Ronaldo or Lionel

Former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has said there "is no room for criticism" of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with both coming under scrutiny for their performances this season. Herrera, who now plays for Athletic Bilbao, joined United in 2014 before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, where he played in the same team as Messi following the Argentine's move to the club in 2021.

Herrera said he "loves" United, and defended striker Ronaldo after the criticism he has received following a slow start to the 2022-23 season. "When you have a player who scores 24/25 goals last season, how can you say this player is not for the team?" Herrera asked. “Top scorer of the team, one of the top scorers in Europe. Probably not going to score 50 goals every season, of course, but he's still fighting, scoring, taking care of himself every day, every single training, so respect.”

More related stories:

Despite the win, Mbappe worries Galtier and fans

Ronaldo was king of the gym till this player joined United

"Now, probably, you have to control the charge of him in terms of training and games, you can't make him play every single game of the season, in the big moments he will be there. There is one thing you cannot lie, the stats. And Ronaldo ... always putting the face to fight, to score, to run, to take the responsibility of the team -- for me there is no space for criticism with Cristiano or with Leo. Of course everyone's going to talk about them because they're probably the two best players in history."

Playing with Messi was a dream

Herrera played 28 times for PSG after Messi's arrival and the Bilbao midfielder said it was a "dream" to play and train alongside him every day. He added that rather than disrespecting Messi and Ronaldo, people should thank them for what they have given to the sport. "Personally it was a dream playing alongside him, training with him was a dream come true," Herrera added. “After I know Messi personally, the facts were better than the expectations -- always trying to help the team.”