In a world as divisive as this one, perhaps one of the longest-standing sporting debates is this: Who is the better player out of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
It’s a question that is often met with a lot of reactionary feelings while United and Barcelona fans are always going to side with the player who represented their club with such passion. Neutrals are usually split 50/50 on the issue but it’s something almost every player, former player or manager has been asked for their opinion on.
Some of the biggest names in sport have publicly declared their allegiance to either Ronaldo or Messi – take Gary Lineker and Ronaldinho, for example, both of whom are very much in the Messi camp. In an interview with talkSPORT, Lineker has said: “He’s just phenomena. He’s 31 now and he’s still going strong. He plays the game in a way the rest of us are not familiar with.
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“I watch a lot of football, and people pine on this whole Messi vs Ronaldo debate; there’s no comparison, for me. Messi is on a different level to everybody else, it’s as simple as that. People say to me what about Ronaldo’s goalscoring record and so forth? But I say to them have you seen Messi pass a football? Have you seen him dribble towards goal?”
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho highlighted his wish to have shared the pitch with the World Cup winner more often, given their age difference when playing together at Barcelona. He said in an interview with Goal: “Messi. I would have loved to continue playing alongside him. I didn’t get enough time with him, he was very young. I’d love to take to the pitch with him one more time.”
However, there are those who favour the Portuguese legend, including former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who having previously answered Messi to that question now appears to have changed his opinion. In an interview with The Overlap, he admitted: “I actually think for Ronaldo’s output and actual numbers, and goals in big finals and semi-finals like we’ve seen, I think I maybe give him the edge. That’s going to start a load of hate now!”
Former United stars Roy Keane and Michael Owen have also picked Ronaldo over Messi in the past, with the latter declaring on BT Sport: “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. He’s probably always been quicker, right foot, left foot and header of a ball. I think Messi is outstanding in certain attributes but as an all-round physique, Ronaldo is such an all-round player.”
But of all the people with the resume to give his opinion on who is better, it’s probably the greatest manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson. While he obviously has a strong link to Ronaldo, given that he was just one of four players he believes were truly ‘world-class’ to have ever played under him, he was asked by 1991 world snooker champion John Parrott to pick between the duo back in 2015.
“People say who is the best player in the world? And plenty of people quite rightly say Messi – you can’t dispute that opinion. But Ronaldo could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers, anyone, and score a hat-trick in a game.
“I’m not sure Messi could do it. Ronaldo’s got two feet, he’s quick, great in the air, he’s brave – Messi’s brave, of course. I think Messi’s a Barcelona player.”
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