Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Gary Lineker Closes Eternal GOAT Argument With Majestic Claim

Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Gary Lineker Closes Eternal GOAT Argument With Majestic Claim

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:30 PM
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  • Football fans are frequently divided on which of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is the best of all time
  • Ex-England international Gary Lineker has often tilted towards Leo Messi in the eternal GOAT debate
  • According to Lineker, Messi and Diego Maradona played football in a way that no other player in history could have ever fathomed

Gary Lineker has justified his choice in the greatest of all-time (GOAT) debate involving Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The debate has lasted for almost two decades, with the mercurial Argentine and phenomenal Portuguese dominating the football space during the period.

Gary Lineker, England, international, BBC pundit, MOTD presenter, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo share a staggering 12 Ballon d'Or awards among them. Photo credit: @brfootball
Source: Twitter

Lineker, a former England international, has often argued in favour of the Paris Saint-Germain star, insisting Messi is cut above his mates and rests a notch higher among the pantheons of football greats.

“Justifiably. I think he and Maradona are the two greatest footballers of all time. I think there is a case to make that Messi is the greatest sportsman of all time," Lineker told Men’s Health magazine as quoted by Sportskeeda.

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He continued: "Only Muhammad Ali gets close, and there are many more footballers than heavyweight boxers.

The 62-year-old has been unrepentantly biased towards the mercurial Argentine playmaker in the eternal debate of who is the better between the pair, and he explains why.

“Then there is Messi and Maradona, doing things that other people just cannot do.
"It’s like they are watching themselves from above, seeing every dimension around them. It a different game to the one mere mortals play.”

Bellingham extols Messi in GOAT debate

Sports Brief reported that the ongoing debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi about who is the greatest football player of all time has recently gained a new superstar voice in Jude Bellingham.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football for almost two decades, winning multiple titles and individual honours, creating a rivalry that has seen fans pitch their tents in either camp.

Bellingham has now revealed his GOAT to be ‘Messi’ as he describes the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as not human due to his abilities.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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