The debate as to who the better player is between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will go on forever – here are 10 popular names who believe the Argentine is superior to the Portuguese!
Messi and Ronaldo will still be compared to one another years after they both retire one day, due to the consistency they have shown in the beautiful game over the past 10 years.
Today, our focus on some who believe the Argentine is the best in the world, or is at least better than the Real Madrid talisman.
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has made his pick clear over the years, with Messi being his choice as he feels the forward is more of a team player.
Ronaldinho
Rafinha
Pele
Adil Rami
Brazilians Ronaldinho, Pele and Rafinha also feel the FC Barcelona man is better than Ronaldo, along with the Argentine’s former boss Pep Guardiola, who noted that although he feels that way, he has a massive amount of respect for Ronaldo.
David Beckham
Pep Guardiola
Javier Saviola
Jose Mourinho
Ronaldo de Lima
Manchester United legend David Beckham believes the Portuguese does not reach Messi’s level, while former Barca and Real striker Javier Saviola prefers the Argentine. The gallery also includes quotes from France defender Adil Rami, Jose Mourinho and Ronaldo de Lima.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 34 is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d’Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes.
He has won 27 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in the UEFA Champions League (124), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most hat-tricks in the Champions League (8) and La Liga (34), assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored 700 senior career goals for club and country.
Lionel Messi, 31, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d’Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes.
He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won a club-record 32 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga and in Europe’s top-five leagues (415), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League, as well as those for most assists in La Liga (166) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 680 senior career goals for club and country.