"My brain doesn't comprehend it" - When Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold picked between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander once made his pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two legends are widely regarded as two of the best ever to set foot on a football field.
Both Messi and Ronaldo are still going strong despite being in their late 30s, with each scoring over 800 goals for club and country and winning titles galore. The jury has often been split as fans, experts and players - both former and current - pick one over the other as the game's greatest ever.
However, Alexander-Arnold - having faced off against both legends - had no qualms as he picked Messi, telling the Mirror (via MyKhel) in July this year:
"It has to be Messi for me, the best player I've played, for me the best player that's ever played the game. I never watched Maradona. To imagine anyone better than what I've been able to see (from Messi), my brain doesn't comprehend it. There's no way anyone can be better than him."
Explaining his choice, the Reds full-back noted Messi's ability to seemingly impose his will on the pitch and weave magic:
"For me, I think in many, many aspects of the game he's probably the best at any given moment. He can almost do what he wants on a football pitch, so yeah, for that reason he's the best."
For his part, Alexander-Arnold is one of the best young goalscoring full-backs in the game today and has been a key player for Premier League leaders Liverpool over the years.
Lionel Messi ties Cristiano Ronaldo record in latest international outing
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored goals and created milestones galore in their illustrious careers spanning more than two decades for club and country.
While Ronaldo (133) is the most prolific scorer in men's international football, he also holds the record for most hat-tricks in the arena. Ten of his 66 career hat-tricks have come for Portugal, making him the first player to reach the landmark, which he achieved in October 2021.
Just over three years later - during Argentina's 6-0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia earlier this week - Messi equalled that mark. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner opened the scoring in Buenos Aires before bagging a late brace to create more history.
With 112 goals, Messi trails only Ronaldo in the all-time scoring charts, with his career goals tally now standing at 846, 61 behind his Portugal counterpart.