Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos gave his verdict on the GOAT debate back in February 2023, choosing Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo. Ramos had the privilege of teaming with both superstars and chose Messi despite their fierce rivalry over the years in La Liga.
The GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been a hot topic for well over a decade but is yet to come to a close. The former has won five Ballons d’Or, while Messi has won eight – the most in football history.
Sergio Ramos played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid for nine seasons between 2009 and 2018. They found great success together, winning 15 trophies, including two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies. In addition, during this time, Ramos had a fierce rivalry with Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, often finding himself sent off due to physical altercations.
Ramos joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent in 2021 and was joined by Messi just a month later after the latter unexpectedly left Barcelona. Despite playing just two seasons with the Argentine ace, Ramos clearly saw enough, as he made his decision on the GOAT debate (via GiveMeSport):
“There was suffering for several years playing against Messi. I am now enjoying him. He is the best player football has ever produced.”
Ramos’ comments came after Lionel Messi led Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar. Both players found success at PSG between 2021 and 2023, winning three trophies, including two Ligue 1 titles.
Peterborough United owner backs Cristiano Ronaldo to follow in Lionel Messi’s footsteps by playing in the MLS
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony reckons Cristiano Ronaldo will join Lionel Messi in the MLS once his contract at Al-Nassr expires. He also explained why football in the United States could boom in the near future, claiming he would buy a club in the United Soccer League – a league below the MLS.
Lionel Messi shifted the landscape in the United States when he opted to join Inter Miami as a free agent in the summer of 2023. This brought millions of new eyes to the MLS, with thousands of fans attending games in stadiums to catch a glimpse of the Argentine ace in action.
MacAnthony told talkSPORT (via GOAL):
“I’m going to buy a USL club potentially in the next two years because I think with the World Cup on the horizon and the Olympics on the horizon out there, it’s already becoming a top-four sport. Parents are spending fortunes sending their eight, nine and ten-year-olds to weekend camps of football, money is going into it.”
“They still have it wrong in MLS where they don’t have a pyramid. If somebody in the MLS convinces those owners to open up the pyramid like we have in England, that would be the second-most watched football around the world.”
He added:
“I believe valuations are taking off in the next ten years with the Apple deal with the Messi effect and Cristiano Ronaldo will probably go out there when he’s finished in Saudi Arabia. Football will be on the map in America in a big way and I believe if I get a USL club right now for £8-10million, even though it’s not in MLS, that could be worth double or triple in the next five years.”
Cristiano Ronaldo currently represents Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and is set to play for them again this season. His two-and-a-half-year deal is set to expire next summer.