Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? When Premier League star Chris Wood made his pick
One year ago, Premier League star Chris Wood chose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In a video for the Olympics on YouTube, the Nottingham Forest striker revealed his choice in the eternal debate about which legend is the greatest player of all time.
The New Zealand international picked Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, over his long-time rival and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo. The pair are considered two of the greatest players in the history of the sport for their exploits over two decades, with both players bagging over 700 career goals.
Wood has never faced Lionel Messi on the pitch at club or country level. However, he has faced Cristiano Ronaldo once each with Burnley and the New Zealand national team, losing the games 3-1 and 4-0, respectively.
The 32-year-old is enjoying a fine 2024-25 campaign with Nottingham Forest with an impressive return of seven Premier League goals in nine games.
“It would be amazing to see Cristiano Ronaldo competing against Lionel Messi in the MLS" - Ex-Premier league defender
Former Premier League defender Mikael Silvestre would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face off in the MLS.
Ronaldo and Messi are in the final years of their illustrious careers at Al-Nassr and Inter Miami respectively, and continue to dazzle their fans.
The superstars are legendary figures in the game and enjoyed a rivalry that entranced the world for nine years during Ronaldo's stint at Real Madrid and Messi's legendary tenure at Barcelona.
Silvestre said he would love to see the pair rekindle their rivalry in MLS before they retire. He told Norskebettingsider (via The Mirror):
“It would be amazing to see Cristiano Ronaldo competing against Lionel Messi in the MLS, it would be a dream for football fans. However, I think he is happy in Saudi and is the face of the league out there. He is also still playing for Portugal. Maybe after the World Cup, he’ll decide to make a change in what might be the last transfer of his career."
Silvestre played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United for 8463 minutes across 138 games and even combined for two goals. The former defender never played alongside Lionel Messi, however, he faced him twice in his career, winning one and losing the other with Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.