When Alessandro Nesta Named the Only Player Better Than Lionel Messi

• Italian icon, Alessandro Nesta once made a notable remark on the football GOAT debate
• The AC Milan legend had his own take on who the best footballer really is
• The argument over who is better between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has raged for decades

One of the great lingering debates in world football is over who is the GOAT- determining who is the greatest of all time from a range of legendary figures through the various eras.

Pose the question of who holds the title of the greatest footballer, and you'll encounter a plethora of names: Diego Maradona, Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario- the list is endless.

However, over the past approximately two decades, the discussion about the GOAT has steadfastly centered on two iconic veterans: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

According to GOAL, these two football titans have spearheaded global football dominance, accumulating an astonishing total of 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them. Messi has claimed the prestigious honour seven times, while Ronaldo has secured it five times.

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Even exceptional accomplishments, such as Messi's recent victory at the 2022 World Cup with La Albiceleste or the numerous goal-scoring records achieved by the 38-year-old Al-Nassr captain, have failed to definitively resolve this enduring debate.

Nesta on GOAT debate

During a Champions League clash between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Nesta took over the Heineken Twitter account and was asked who was the best striker he's faced.

The Italian defender replied:

"Brazilian Ronaldo. The best in history if you ask me."

Nesta names striker better than Haaland

Nesta also had his say on Erling Haaland, as he made some interesting comments regarding the striker.

As per the AC Milan legend, his experience in dealing with Ronaldo Nazario leads him to believe he can contain the Manchester City striker.

Speaking to Copa90, Nesta said:

"I can play, yeah! Because I played against Ronaldo the Brazilian. Haaland is very good but the other one was something different. I played against Messi, against Cristiano [Ronaldo], but the Brazilian Ronaldo, for me was different."

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Ronaldo lauds Messi and Zidane

Sports Brief also reported that in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo hailed Messi and Zidane as two of the greatest players he had ever witnessed.

The bombshell sit-down, which contributed to the Portuguese veteran's bitter split from Man United, also included a number of fascinating comments from CR7.