"I think he's the best player in the history" - When Tennis legend Roger Federer picked his football 'GOAT' between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Tennis legend Roger Federer once backed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in football's GOAT debate. The two footballing greats have dominated the scene for close to two decades and it's hard to choose one as the clear winner in the GOAT debate.
When Federer was asked to choose between the two superstars, the 20-time Grand Slam champion backed Messi and said in 2019 (via GOAL):
"I think Messi is the best player in the history of football. I love watching him play and I hope that one day he can win the World Cup."
Retired in 2022, Federer played his last professional tennis match at the Laver Cup, where he teamed up with Rafael Nadal to face the American duo of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.
Nadal, meanwhile, also announced his retirement from tennis on Thursday, October 10. Cristiano Ronaldo, Jude Bellingham, Virgil van Dijk, and other football stars took to social media and reacted to Nadal's retirement.
Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate claims Argentine legend would have been a great defender
Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano claimed the Inter Miami superstar would have excelled as a defender.
In a recent interview on 'Shoot for Love' (h/t SPORT), Mascherano said as it was nearly impossible to get past Messi, he would have thrived at the other end of the pitch too.
"If Messi were a defender, he might have been one of the best defenders in the world. It was impossible to dribble past him. Sometimes in Barcelona, we would play one-on-one, and it was impossible to get past him," he said.
"We had no chance against him. Sometimes, attackers know how to defend. Leo defended very well. He was very fast, and when you tried to dribble past him, it was possible," Mascherano added.
Mascherano shared the dressing room with Messi at Camp Nou between 2010 and 2018. The defender also played alongside Messi for the Argentine national team.
Mascherano retired from professional football in November 2020.