Messi vs Ronaldo: When Maradona Weighed In on Endless GOAT Debate

• Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo will go down as the greatest competition in football history
• Both players are considered the greatest of all time
• The late Diego Maradona settled the debate with a perfect answer

Just like the Michael Jordan vs, LeBron James debate, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's GOAT debate has been raging for over a decade and has no end in sight.

Most football legends, fans, and pundits have given their takes, but it will take more than words to change the minds of loyal supporters of Messi and Ronaldo.

Argentina icon, the late Diego Maradona, once gave an interesting answer about the debate.

Since the late 2000s, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football, scoring plenty of goals and winning many trophies at their peaks at Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Either Messi or Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or award from 2008 to 2017. In total, they won a total of 13 Ballon d'Or between them, per Sporting News.

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No one came close to those two during that unprecedented level of production. Now, both are getting older, and their dominance is all but over.

The competition between these two icons will probably never be matched anytime soon. Messi's World Cup win in 2022 cemented his status as the GOAT, according to his proponents.

Maradona on Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT debate

In 2019, after Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick for Juventus against Atletico Madrid, Maradona lauded the Portuguese, but said he preferred his compatriot.

"Cristiano is an animal... I wish he were Argentine. But I still prefer Messi. He is enjoying playing football and goes by opponents with ease," he said, via ESPN.

Maradona famously led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup, and Messi brought their third title in Qatar last year. Maradona unfortunately passed away in November 2020 at 60.

Ronaldo is 38, and it is unclear if he will play in the 2026 World Cup. If he doesn't, he will retire without a World Cup. Even so, few players have come close to his achievements.

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Messi refuses to answer GOAT question

Sports Brief also reported on the Argentine's diplomatic answer when asked whether he believed he was the best player in football history.

36-year-old Messi made some notable remarks after his Ballon d'Or win but strategically avoided the debate surrounding his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The pair have been pitted against each other for over a decade, with the Portuguese phenom winning the Ballon d’Or award five times.