Fergie singles out duo

Sir Alex Ferguson has named Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the two top players in world football today.

The pair will be in direct competition with each other when Manchester United and Barcelona go head-to-head in the UEFA Champions League final next Wednesday.

Ronaldo is the current FIFA World Player of the Year but the little Argentinean is the hot favourite to take the title this year.

The United boss also added that the duo's natural ability was not the sole reason that makes them stand out from the pack, with the Scot highlighting how much work the Portuguese ace puts in after each training session.

Ferguson also pointed out that AC Milan star Kaka belonged in the same company as Ronaldo and Messi but stated that the Brazilian had never 'taken his breath away' despite the 27-year-old almost single-handedly knocking United out of Europe in 2007.

"There are some players such as Kaka, Messi and Ronaldo who are innately gifted," he told The Technician.
Practice

"But this is not enough and there is a practice element which becomes very important. If you watch Cristiano Ronaldo, he practices after every training session and quite a few of the others do the same.

"As a coach we dedicate parts of the training to improving touch, movement, passing and speed of play, but the special quality, the detail, depends on the player being willing to sacrifice himself after training - this is the hallmark of the great players.

"If the big talents only rely on their natural ability, they won't have that extra edge. They must do something extra on their own.

"When I think of the current generation Lionel Messi is top level and although he has never really taken my breath away Kaka has impressed."

The 67-year-old also believes that the Champions League is of a higher standard than the World Cup, as his United side aim to become the first team to record back-to-back titles since the competition changed format in 1992.

"There are many good games at the World Cup but in general the quality in the big Uefa Champions League games is, in my view, higher," he added.

Drama

"I think that overall, the Uefa Champions League is hard to beat when it comes to consistency, quality and drama.

"The World Cup, of course, is every four years and big changes always take place with the departure of many players and coaches and continuity then suffers."

Ferguson also name AC Milan defender Paulo Maldini as his favourite and most admitted opposition player.

"He has a wonderful presence, competitive spirit, athleticism, and although not the world's greatest technically he has influenced all the AC Milan teams during his wonderfully successful era - a truly marvellous player," he stated.