In a recent social media compilation, responses from more than one hundred footballers have been gathered to finally answer the age-old debate: who is better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? The results, surprising to some, are overwhelmingly in favor of one player.
For over a decade, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the defining figures of modern football, consistently competing for the sport’s top individual honors. Each has amassed an impressive collection of accolades, making the debate over who is superior a hot topic among fans and pundits alike.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first of the two to claim a major international trophy, leading Portugal to victory at Euro 2016. However, Lionel Messi matched this achievement with Argentina’s Copa America triumph in 2021 and then surpassed it by winning the World Cup in 2022.
The 11-minute-long compilation features responses from former teammates of both Messi and Ronaldo, along with some of the greatest players and managers in football history. Out of more than 140 respondents, a striking 101 chose Messi as the superior player, while only 40 sided with the former Real Madrid star.
Notable names who favored Ronaldo include Giorgio Chiellini, Marcus Rashford, Iker Casillas, and Gianluigi Buffon. Meanwhile, those who picked Messi include Jude Bellingham, Kevin De Bruyne, Franz Beckenbauer, and Ronaldinho.
In a 2019 interview with Portuguese channel TV1, Ronaldo spoke about their rivalry, suggesting that it has pushed both players to new heights. “I have no doubt that Messi has made me a better player and vice versa,” he said. “When I am winning trophies, it must sting him, and it’s the same for me when he wins.”
Ronaldo continued, “I really admire the career he [Messi] has had, and from his side, he has already talked about the disappointment when I left Spain because it was a rivalry that he appreciated. It’s a good rivalry, but it’s not unique – Michael Jordan had rivalries in basketball, and there were Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Formula 1. The thing they all had in common is that they were healthy rivalries.”
As the debate continues, it’s clear that the admiration between these two football legends is mutual, even as fans and players worldwide weigh in with their opinions.
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