Go Sports Life By Andy Kaasa

Article From: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
Exact Link: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=647799&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=5901 

Sir Alex Ferguson has picked out Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - rivals in next week's Champions League final - as the two most gifted players in the game.

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Ronaldo and Messi: Healthy rivalry?

The Manchester United manager believes the two stars' work ethic allied to their natural ability sets them apart.

Ferguson, who rates the quality in the Champions League as even higher than in the World Cup, also rates AC Milan's Kaka to an extent ''although he has never really taken my breath away''.

He told the latest issue of UEFA publicationThe Technician: ''There are some players, such as Kaka, Messi and Ronaldo who are innately gifted.

''But this is not enough, and there is a practice element which becomes very important.

''If you watch Cristiano Ronaldo, he practises after every squad training session, and quite a few 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 a 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.''