Michael Laudrup, who currently manages Lekhwiya, is following La Liga from a distance and says that he is "delighted" to be in Qatar.

When asked to choose between having Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in his side, Laudrup replied, "Both would have to be in it, as they've clearly been the best two players over the past four or five years."

"I think they need each other. If one scores a hat-trick, the other tries to beat that", stressed Laudrup, before adding: "They are two of the best, not just of this era - in 30 years we'll be talking about them and the debate will be whether Messi, Cristiano, Maradona or Pele is the greatest of all time."

As for James Rodríguez and the criticism which has rained down on him at Real Madrid, the Dane noted: "He's a great footballer. He's got to get used to playing for such a big side, with all the pressure that comes with that."

Laudrup added that when he started out as a manager he knew that he "wasn't going to get old in the dugout", although he has "a lot of respect for people who have done so such as Alex Ferguson and Luis Aragonés". He added that he has been warmly received in Qatar, where he has signed a year-long contract, and even recounted that some of his players looked him up on YouTube prior to him taking the job.