A former Argentina international has voiced his thoughts on why Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi in an interesting interview.
Messi, 37, and Ronaldo, 39, are widely considered to be the two best footballers of all time.
The Argentinian is currently at David Beckham-owned Inter Miami – playing in the MLS. While Ronaldo turns out for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
The GOAT (greatest of all time) debate is one that will be discussed for generations to come.
Fans of Messi often cite the fact he has won eight Ballon d’Or crowns compared to Ronaldo’s five.
Supporters of the Portuguese lean on the fact the 39-year-old has won trophies in five countries – when playing for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr.
While Messi has only captured silverware in three countries – from his time at Barcelona, PSG and Inter Miami.
But, of course, he does have a World Cup winners medal to show for his efforts in Qatar in 2022, with Ronaldo’s Euro 2016 crown his best achievement on the international stage.
There’s arguably no correct answer. Usually, Argentina and Barcelona fans side with Messi, while Real Madrid and Portugal supporters back Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest footballers of all time (Credit:Getty)
However, a former Argentina goalkeeper has snubbed his countryman and dubbed Ronaldo as “better than Messi” in a recent interview with La Nacion.
Hugo Gatti, 80, played for several clubs – including Boca Juniors and River Plate – as well as boasting 18 caps for Argentina in a career spanning over two decades between 1962 and 1988.
But despite both representing Argentina, he gave his reasons why he thinks Ronaldo has the edge over Messi.
“Today, he’s already one less,” Gatti said.
“He’s playing country-club soccer in the United States.”
“It’s tougher playing there [in the Saudi Pro League],” he added.
“Everyone plays there. They chase you; they’ll kill you. Cristiano, even limited, is a phenomenon. Limited, he’s better than Messi.
“And he’s limited because he doesn’t have Messi’s natural talent, but he played for the best teams in the world. Where did Messi play? Barca and the Argentina national team. Messi never challenged himself by playing for other teams, in other countries. And he had the opportunities, you know?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s votes in the FIFA Best awards and Ballon d’Or are available online and make for interesting reading.
FIFA’s The Best awards takes place on Monday evening, with Vinicius Jr and Rodri both on the shortlist for the Best Men’s Player award after the former was beaten by the Manchester City star for the Ballon d’Or earlier this year.
Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are also on the 11-man shortlist for the gong, which allows captains of national teams to have their say on all their individual awards as part of the voting.
Coaches, an allocated journalist from country and fans, also get to have a say with a top three in each category.
But players are known to be rather tactical with the votes and that can be seen in the selections from two of the very best players in history.
There is a mutual respect between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated the individual awards over the years.
Yet despite this, neither have ever picked another as their number one selection in an individual award – whether it be in the FIFA’s awards or the coveted Ballon d’Or.
When the Ballon d’Or was merged with FIFA, there were no votes at all between the pair until Messi finally ended the spell – placing Ronaldo in his top three two years in a row in 2018 and 2019.
Ronaldo returned the favour a year later, putting Messi second in his top three for ‘The Best’ when Robert Lewandowski was the winner.
Last year, Messi beat Erling Haaland to win the FIFA Men’s Best Player award, and put the Norwegian as his first pick in a top three which featured Mbappe and his Argentina teammate Julian Alvarez.
Lionel Messi won the last FIFA Best Men’s Player. Image: Getty
Although he has been the Portugal captain for a number of years now, he decided against voting in both 2022 and 2023, with his international teammate Pepe assuming duties instead.
Lionel Messi awards voting
Ballon d’Or:
2010: Didn’t vote
2011: Xavi, Iniesta, Aguero
2012: Iniesta, Xavi, Aguero
2013: Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar
2014: Di Maria, Iniesta, Mascherano
2015: Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta
FIFA ‘The Best’:
2016: Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta
2017: Suarez, Iniesta, Neymar
2018: Modric, Mbappe, Ronaldo
2019: Mane, Ronaldo, De Jong
2020: Neymar, Mbappe, Lewandowski
2021: Neymar, Mbappe, Benzema
2022: Neymar, Mbappe, Benzema
2023: Haaland, Mbappe, Alvarez
Cristiano Ronaldo awards voting
Ballon d’Or:
2010: Xavi, Casillas, Sneijder
2011: Did not vote
2012: Did not vote
2013: Falcao, Bale, Ozil
2014: Ramos, Bale, Benzema
2015: Benzema, James Rodriguez, Bale
FIFA’s ‘The Best’:
2016: Bale, Modric, Ramos
2017: Modric, Ramos, Marcelo
2018: Varane, Modric, Griezmann
2019: De Ligt, De Jong, Mbappe
2020: Lewandowski, Messi, Mbappe
2021: Lewandowski, Kante, Jorginho
2022: Did not vote
2023: Did not vote
Featured Image Credit: Getty & FIFA
Ronaldo and Messi are considered as two of the all-time greats, with some believing that they are indeed the best in football history.
Others tend to bring the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff into the debate, while older fans might even throw in Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.
It’s a debate that fans will never universally agree on – yet everybody at least agrees that Ronaldo and Messi are up there.
And in an interview with Piers Morgan last November, the presenter asked Ronaldo whether Messi was the greatest player he had ever seen.
He responded: “Probably, yes.
“Him and [Zinedine] Zidane probably, that I have played and fought with.
“Messi is an amazing player, he is magic. As a person, we share the stage 16 years. Imagine, 16 years we share.
“So I have a great relationship with him. I’m not a friend of his in terms of, what I mean friend is the guy who was with you in your house, speaking on the phone. No, but it’s like a team-mate.
“He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me.”
Zidane, meanwhile, managed Ronaldo at Real Madrid between 2015 and 2018, with the pair winning three Champions League titles together.
As a player, he is considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He combined excellent passing and dribbling abilities with an eye for the spectacular.
His final act as a player was to guide the France national team to the World Cup final in 2006, but was sent off following his infamous headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi.
Image credit: Getty
He retired from club and international football after the final, ending a career that saw him play over 800 times for club and country, scoring over 150 goals.
Zidane won the Champions League and La Liga titles with Real Madrid, a Serie A title with Juventus and a World Cup and European Championship with France. He lifted the Ballon d’Or award in 1998.
In 2017, the Frenchman anointed Ronaldo as his greatest player of all time.
He explained (quotes via ESPN): “There have been many players who have made history at this club [Real Madrid]. But nobody has done what he has – the statistics speak for that.
“What he has done is impressive. So I think yes [he is the best in history].
“You know I think Cristiano is much better [than me], although I had a good career.”
Featured Image Credit: WHOOP – Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo was on the receiving end of a Lionel Messi taunt in a recent video filmed with MrBeast.
Cristiano Ronaldo got fans talking with his response to being taunted about Lionel Messi in a video with MrBeast.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has partnered up with the most-subscribed YouTuber in the world for a number of videos across both of their channels.
The latest was posted on Ronaldo’s ‘UR – Cristiano’, where the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend has 72 million subscribers. The video, titled ‘How Many goalkeepers Does It Take to Stop Ronaldo?’ racked up more than a million views within hours of it going up.
As expected, Ronaldo took penalties against a total of four goalkeepers in the net at Al Nassr’s Al Awwal Park stadium. MrBeast was in between the sticks by himself at one point before friends of his joined him in attempting to prevent the Portuguese superstar from scoring.
But jibes about Messi, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and long-time rival of Ronaldo’s, were used to try and get in the 39-year-old’s head before he stepped up for a final effort.
“Nolan says he doesn’t like you, he thinks you’re not the GOAT,” MrBeast told Ronaldo.
“Nolan’s the guy on the end over there, he thinks Messi’s better! He calls it soccer and he said Messi’s the GOAT.
Ronaldo saw the funny side and replied, “Who said Messi’s better than me?” – before laughing hysterically as the three men pointed at Nolan on the end.
Cristiano Ronaldo was taunted about Lionel Messi. Image: MrBeast
And naturally, the remark about Messi led to plenty of conversation online.
One wrote: “How obsessed is this guy mannn.”
Another said: “This guy always dey find attention but the goat is just a chill guy.”
A third added: “All my life, I have never heard Messi talk comparison about Cristiano Ronaldo.”
A fourth commented: “Messi lives rent free in his mind.”
A final user joked: “Bro is still thinking about Messi even after he started a new YouTube career.”
In Ronaldo’s defence, he said the line in good spirits and wasn’t exactly irritated by the teasing unlike in previous scenarios. However, it did lead to him picking his corner for his final penalty, smashing the ball on the same side as Nolan with incredible power and precision.
The American cowered into a shell and admitted afterwards that he “thought he was going to die”.
Ronaldo is now enjoying a winter break before returning to action with Al Nassr in a Saudi Pro League clash with Al Akhdoud on 9 January.
Featured Image Credit: UR – Ronaldo
‘R9’ Ronaldo asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo Nazario has picked between footballing greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a new video.
The GOAT debate between Messi and Ronaldo continues to rumble on as Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland recently weighed in.
Eden Hazard also gave his answer to football’s age-old question, which could anger fans.
Brazil legend Ronaldo has already made his feelings clear on Messi and Ronaldo.
But he’s settled the debate once and for all in a new video.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Ronaldo was asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo.
The two-time World Cup winner sided with the Argentinean, who himself won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It’s not the first time the former Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan forward has praised Messi.
Speaking last year, ‘R9’ named the eight greatest players in history and surprisingly left out the Portuguese superstar.
“I think there is a very, very special group where you have Diego, Messi, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Pele, Van Basten, Ronaldinho. I would include myself,” he revealed. “Let the fans say, let them debate it in the bars. But you can’t rank them, can’t compare generations.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing against each other. Image: Getty
The 47-year-old: “People call me Original Ronaldo but, bloody hell, there were others – and they weren’t false. I’m not the only one and more will come along and be better than me, in everything.
“I did what I could, the best I could. I’m doing other things now, important things, and I want to keep improving myself. As a footballer I can’t do any more now.”
Ronaldo knows what he’s talking about, having played for the biggest clubs in world football during a legendary playing career.
Following his World Cup cup triumph with Argentina, Messi is widely regarded as the outright GOAT.
Featured Image Credit: The Daily Mail/Getty