Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and more: Liverpool star Cody Gakpo builds his ultimate player
Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo has included attributes from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he built his ultimate footballer. Both Ronaldo and Messi are bonafide legends of the game and regarded as two of the best ever.
Despite being on the wrong side of 35, both Ronaldo and Messi remain at the top of their game, exhibiting little signs of slowing down anytime soon. Currently, the two are involved in international action, with Ronaldo looking to steer Portugal past Slovenia in the Euro 2024 Round of 16, while Messi is looking to steer Argentina to back-to-back Copa America triumphs.
Meanwhile, Gakpo - who is on Euro 2024 duty with the Netherlands - constructed his ultimate player, as revealed in an interaction with ESPN UK. It went as follows:
"Skill: Vinicius Junior"
"Passing: Trent Alexander-Arnold"
"Endurance: James Milner"
"Mentality: I'll pick myself"
"Finishing: Cristiano Ronaldo"
"Football IQ: Lionel Messi"
"Speed: Kylian Mbappe"
"Tackling: Ibrahima Konate"
Gakpo's Netherlands take on Romania on Tuesday (July 2) in Berlin for a place in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals. The 25-year-old has scored twice in three games in Germany as the 1988 champions finished third in Group D, behind surprise winners Austria and France.
What's next for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?
As mentioned above, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are involved in international action with their respective nation. Ronaldo's Portugal take on Slovenia in Frankfurt on Monday (July 1) for a place in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
Earlier, A Selecao won their first two games to win Group F. Ronaldo played all three games but is yet to open his account, marking the first time in 11 major tournaments where the 39-year-old failed to score in the group stage. He did provide an assist in the 3-0 win over Turkey on matchday two, though.
That moved him level with former Czech Republic player Karol Poborsky's record of eight assists at the Euros. Ronaldo is now looking to score in a record-extending sixth European Championship and also become the oldest scorer in competition history.
Meanwhile, Messi and Co. won Group A of Copa America 2024 with three wins without conceding. The 37-year-old has registered an assist in two games, sitting out the final game. La Albiceleste await the Group B runner-ups in the quarterfinal on Thursday (July 4) in Houston.