The GOAT debate: 5 football legends who picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi

The GOAT debate: 5 football legends who picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi

SportsBrief.com, Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:45 PM
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- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the best players of their generation

- Fans across the world are split on either side - over the greatest player of all time

- Brazilian legend Pele is among legendary stars who chose CR7 over Messi when it came to who he believed was the more complete football player

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As the world continues to debate over who the greatest player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is, there is no doubt that the two are the best players of their generation.

Pele, Van Nistelrooy, Mbappe among 5 superstars who picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi
The likes of Pele believe Cristiano Ronaldo is a more complete football player than his rival Lionel Messi. Photo by Michael Steele.
Source: Getty Images

The eternal rivals have made the football world their own in more than one decade, splitting a staggering 11 Ballon d’Or titles between themselves – as Messi has 6 while Ronaldo has claimed 5.

From Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo has replicated the same goalscoring form as he continued to set and shatter records.

Ronaldo was on song as Juventus edged AS Roma 2-0 in a highly entertaining Serie A cracker on Saturday night, February 6.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the Portuguese sensation clocked 36 - with many believing he is already in the twilight of his career.

Here are five football greats who believe Ronaldo is the more complete football player than his counterpart Lionel Messi, and what they said word for word.

5. Gini Wijnaldum | Liverpool

"Sometimes I say Lionel Messi, sometimes I say Cristiano Ronaldo. It is not fair to pick between the two, because what one player has, the other player doesn't. They are both the players in the world, for me."

4. Michael Owen | Ex-Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid

“Goalscoring is the hardest art in football and [Ronaldo] makes it look so easy. Head, left foot, right foot.
"Messi is a decent header of a ball but if you're looking at all-round players, you go head-to-head with Messi and Ronaldo, you'd say Ronaldo has a lot more different attributes let's say."

3. Ruud van Nistelrooy | Ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid

"I never saw him as an arrogant guy. He was always open to advice and not arrogant at all. He was a great guy in the dressing room."

2. Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain

“From one year to the next, my choice changes between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, even if I have to admit to picking Ronaldo more often. I loved him when I was younger."

1. Pele | Ex-Santos

"Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo. I think he's the best, because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about [Lionel] Messi, of course, but he's not a striker."

A number of superstars who have played alongside both Messi and Ronaldo in the past have however inclined towards the little Argentine as the player who is more naturally gifted on the ball.

From Carlos Tevez to Angel Di Maria, many of them believe Messi, 33 is simply unplayable on his best day, which is almost every day.

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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