"Doesn't matter which team you support" - When Barca legend claimed people preferred watching Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo
Barcelona legend Jordi Alba once claimed that people prefer watching Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo irrespective of the team they support. Alba has shared the pitch with Messi 375 times for Barcelona and Inter Miami, recording 41 joint-goal contributions.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry reached its peak between 2009 and 2018 when Messi played for Barcelona and Ronaldo was at Real Madrid. The two have faced each other 36 times in their career for club and country. Thirty of those games were El Clasicos (Barcelona vs Real Madrid) in various competitions.
In a 2017 interview during an Adidas promotional event, former Barcelona defender Jordi Alba heaped praises on Lionel Messi. He said (via GOAL):
"I don't know who decides the Ballon d'Or winner, or the best in the world. Everybody has their own opinion. (...) You already know my opinion, because to me, Leo Messi is the best player in the world."
Alba continued:
"Cristiano is a great player who scores many goals. He's a genius, if I said it any other way I'd be lying. To watch on the pitch, I think people prefer Leo, it doesn't matter which team you support.”
Alba's comments came after Cristiano Ronaldo scored an iconic hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the 2016-17 Champions League semi-final first leg (4-2 aggregate win for Real Madrid). He led Los Blancos to win the UCL and LaLiga that season and also won the 2017 Ballon d'Or.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's Barcelona won the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana in the 2016-17 season. The Argentine legend also won the European Golden Boot that season with 37 goals.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's current seasons explored
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both left Europe, playing for Inter Miami and Al-Nassr respectively. However, the two legends remain crucial for their respective teams despite being on the wrong side of their thirties.
Since joining Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, Messi has led them to win the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters' Shield. The two titles mark the first in the club's brief history. However, the Herons crashed out of the MLS Cup this month after a 3-2 loss to Atlanta United in the Round-of-3 series. Despite missing two months of football owing to an ankle injury, Lionel Messi recorded 23 goals and 13 assists in 25 outings across competitions for Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has been unlucky with Al-Nassr so far, not having won any silverware since joining in January 2023. However, the Portuguese talisman has recorded 10 goals and three assists in 15 outings for the Saudi Pro League side across competitions this season. Ronaldo will be keen to secure trophies with Al-Nassr this season with the league and the AFC Champions League at hand.