Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? When Arsenal star Bukayo Saka named the player he tried to emulate
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka once gave his opinion on the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate, revealing that he used to look up to the Portuguese ace. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has a huge fan following and has inspired thousands of kids to pick up football as a profession.
Ronaldo's rivalry with Messi reached legendary status in the past decade-and-a-half. The two superstars may be in the twilight of their careers, but their impact on the beautiful game remains undiminished.
The Argentine great has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times and also has a record six European Golden Shoe to his name. Many also believe Lionel Messi ended the GOAT debate after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with La Albiceleste.
However, speaking to Arsenal's website in 2023, Saka revealed he was team Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I used to love Cristiano Ronaldo. A lot of other kids my age used to love watching him as well. The different things he could do on the pitch, his skills. The way he took free kicks, too, I think a lot of us used to try to emulate that," said Saka.
Bukayo Saka is among the new generation of stars and is arguably one of the best attackers in Europe. The 23-year-old has appeared 237 times for the Gunners to date, registering 62 goals and 60 assists.
How many freekicks have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored?
Although Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are free-kick specialists, they have different techniques. Both have scored 11 freekicks for their respective countries.
The Portuguese popularized the knuckleball technique, relying on pace, swerve, and dip to beat the goalkeeper. The Al-Nassr man has scored 64 free kicks in his career, quite a commendable number. However, he does fall short in front of his nemesis.
The diminutive Argentinean has scored 66 free kicks in his career and deploys a more traditional approach. He prefers to bend the ball into the top corners but has also scored several from underneath the wall.
The 37-year-old has contributed to the recent trend of teams laying a player on the floor behind the wall. Messi last scored a free kick for Inter Miami against Columbus earlier this month. Ronaldo's last free-kick goal was for Al-Nassr against Al-Feiha in the Saudi Pro League in August.