"He knows not to pick sides" - Fans react as Luke Shaw provides neutral response to Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT debate query
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has refused to pick a side in football’s eternal GOAT debate, naming both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest players of all time.
In an interaction with GOAL, Shaw engaged in a word association game. Among other questions, he was asked to name a player he associates most with the word GOAT.
“There’s two GOATs, Ronaldo and Messi. That’s my answer. I’m not picking one,” the Englishman said laughingly.
A video of the interaction was posted on GOAL’s official X handle, and fans took note of Shaw’s neutral stance in one of football’s most divisive topics.
“He knows not to pick sides there,” one fan wrote in the comments.
“Luke Shaw I never doubted your football knowledge,” another wrote.
“Blud is avoiding trouble,” a fan commented.
“He knows ball,” another wrote.
While Shaw has refused to take sides now, he used to be in camp Messi earlier. Back in 2013, when he was still a Southampton player, Shaw engaged in a number of discussions on Twitter in which he defended the Argentine.
In one exchange, a user asked what can Messi do that Ronaldo can’t. To this, Shaw replied:
“Scored 91 goals in a year. Has Ronaldo done that?”
In another tweet, the Englishman said that Ronaldo has “always been in Messi’s shadow,” while praising the Portuguese.
The tweets have since been deleted, and one suspects his association with Manchester United, where Ronaldo is a revered figure, has something to do with that.
Fabio Capello ranks greatest footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo 5th on the list
Former Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello has named his five greatest footballers of all time, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming in at #5 on the list. Capello also included Lionel Messi, placing him among the top three.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel FIVE, Capello said:
“I would rank Pele, Maradona and Messi (as the three greatest ever players in history). Ronaldo (Nazario) just behind them. Cristiano is a good player but not at this level. These three players I said, they have extra imagination. They do some things that you cannot understand.”
Ronaldo and Messi have been two of the greatest players of their generation and among the greatest of all time. The two have dominated European football for nearly two decades, winning a combined 13 Balons d’Or and 79 trophies for club and country between them.