The greatest footballer of all time debate shows no sign of reaching a consensus, but Dutch icon Marco Van Basten has positioned himself firmly in one camp. In a resurfaced interview with Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner left little room for ambiguity when asked to compare Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he’s better than Messi don’t know anything about football, or they are saying it in bad faith,” Van Basten stated. The former AC Milan and Ajax striker went further in explaining what separates the Argentine from everyone else: “He’s impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him appears every 50 or 100 years. As a child, he fell into the pot of football genius.”
Van Basten’s credentials lend considerable weight to his assessment. The Dutch forward scored 282 goals in 379 club appearances for Ajax and AC Milan before a devastating ankle injury forced him to retire at 31. He also netted 34 goals in 73 international appearances for the Netherlands, winning the European Championship in 1988 — the same year he claimed the first of his three Ballon d’Or awards. His career, though cut short, remains one of the most decorated in European football history.
For a significant portion of the football public, Messi’s argument was strengthened considerably in December 2022, when the 37-year-old led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar — a title that had long eluded him and was widely considered the missing piece in his legacy. Messi, now playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, continues to add to his record tally of eight Ballon d’Or awards.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is pursuing different ambitions. At 41 years of age, the Portuguese forward is edging closer to a first Saudi Pro League title with Al Nassr. However, the title race has been clouded by controversy, with rival clubs and players — including Ivan Toney and Galeno — reportedly accusing match officials of bias and preferential treatment toward Ronaldo’s club. The dispute intensified following Al-Ahli’s 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha, a result that left them third in the standings, two points behind league leaders Al Nassr, who also hold a game in hand.
Both players are expected to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For Ronaldo, the tournament could represent a final opportunity to add an international title to his club-level achievements. Messi, the reigning world champion, would be aiming to defend the title he won in Qatar.
Van Basten is not the first high-profile voice to enter the debate in recent weeks. Former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué also weighed in, describing Ronaldo as “a machine” while acknowledging the complexity of comparing the two players. The ongoing commentary from elite former professionals reflects how enduring the rivalry remains, even as both players approach the end of their careers.
