Cristiano Ronaldo named me as toughest opponent but Lionel Messi was just too good for me – even though he didn’t score once
Ashley Cole faced Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in their prime and gave his verdict on who was the toughest to play against.
Ronaldo was one of the best dribblers the Premier League has ever seen, regularly making full-backs dread matchday as he left them dizzy.
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In his first spell at the club from 2003 to 2009, he won three Premier League titles, one Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
But for one defender, facing up to Ronaldo was just another day at work.
And it was actually his rival Messi that would prove more of a contest, despite playing against him far less.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Cole is renowned as one of the best left-backs that the English game has ever seen, winning a record seven FA Cups, three Premier League titles and the Champions League in his career.
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There are not many players that have got the better of the full-back and his battles with Ronaldo were often legendary.
Whether in red or blue, Cole always gave the former United superstar a handful.
But when answering questions from fans on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, the ex-England international was asked who was a tougher opponent between Ronaldo and Messi.
Replying immediately, Cole said: "It has to be Messi.
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“People talk about Ronaldo more because I played against him more.
“But I think to mark Messi, on his day… he was just too good for me.
“But, again, he’s never scored [against me].”
Chelsea and Barcelona have had some epic Champions League encounters over the years when Cole and Messi were sizing each other up.
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While they traded blows, it was one of the few teams that the Argentine maestro could not get on the scoresheet against.
Cole faced up against Messi five times and he never scored once. In their five meetings, Cole won two times and drew the other three.
But while Messi might have struggled to beat Petr Cech in the Chelsea net, Cole's insistence that he was tougher than Ronaldo might come as a shock.
Especially to Ronaldo, who has always counted Cole as his toughest opponent.
Speaking to Coach Mag in 2016, he said: "Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole. He does not give you a second to breathe.
"He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game."
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Cole faced Ronaldo 14 times, coming out on top just three times and losing on eight occasions. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did score on three occasions.
Two of those goals came in one Premier League match.
On Ronaldo, Cole said: "Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and I had some mighty battles and we have a mutual respect for each other. He came to the Premier League as a little bit of an unknown, but he soon understood what it took to be a top player.
"He was willing to learn and adapt. He wanted to be the best player in the world and became a machine.
"He had everything. He could dribble, he could sprint behind, he could leap and jump and head a ball, he could go inside, he could go outside.
"So I say he always gave me nightmares, but you try to work each other out and we got the best of each other at times. Whenever I hear his name or see his face, I always think of when he made me do the splits! [in 2003/04, Ronaldo’s first Premier League season]"
But the feeling is not mutual while one of Cole's performances against Ronaldo has gone down as one of the great defensive displays in the Premier League era.
In 2006, Cole had just signed for Chelsea from Arsenal at a time when Ronaldo was making mincemeat of defenders on a regular basis at Old Trafford.
When the Blues made the trip up north to face United early into the season, Cole did a magnificent job keeping Ronaldo quiet.
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So much so, that Sir Alex Ferguson ended up taking the tricky winger off with the scores level.
Speaking to Chelsea TV in 2020, Cole said: "I was so focused on that game. Even in the changing room I just felt different going into this game.
"My focus and concentration - mentally I was on it. I came to show him the line a lot because I kind of fancied my chances up against him with my pace.
"And a little bit of mentality actually. I think I got in his head a few times. He always wanted that extra trick."
And how did Cole prepare for those big games against the biggest players? It was the same each time.
He told TNT Sports: "I never tried to change the way I prepared for a game. I prepared for every game the same.
"Those big games and against those big players makes you raise your game.
"I'm not saying I definitely didn't get the edge on them every single time, but I held my own.
"As a defender, that's all you can do. Attacking players have more of an advantage."
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Cole retired from playing in 2019 and has gone on to hold several different coaching roles.
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He worked with Wayne Rooney at Derby before being with Frank Lampard at Everton.
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Most recently he was a coach at Birmingham while Rooney was manager of the then Championship side.