Julio Baptista claims Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo inspired each other to 'achieve what they achieved' in their career
Former Brazil international Julio Baptista has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi worked as inspirations for each other. The two superstars of modern football achieved greatness over the last two decades and have etched their names among the best of all time.
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have divided the football world into two parts, Julio Baptista believes the rivalry helped them elevate their games. He insisted that Ronaldo might not have achieved what he did if Messi did not exist at the same time and vice versa. The former Real Madrid and Arsenal forward told FootballItalia, as quoted by Desporto AO Minuto:
"If Messi didn't exist, I don't think Cristiano would be inspired to achieve what he achieved. Maybe the same applies on the other side. Maybe Messi needed that same competition to motivate him. I believe Messi has more natural talent, but Cristiano has built his career."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi completely dominated the game of football for almost 20 years and won 13 Ballon d'Ors between themselves. Ronaldo won five Ballon d'Ors while his rival won eight, and they are the two record recipients of the most prestigious individual award in the game.
Messi, who currently plies his trade for Inter Miami in the MLS, played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Europe. Meanwhile, Ronaldo played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus and is currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Julio Baptista names Cristiano Ronaldo the GOAT ahead of Lionel Messi
Meanwhile, Julio Baptista has named Cristiano Ronaldo the GOAT (Greatest of all time) ahead of his eternal rival Lionel Messi. He insisted that Ronaldo had a more challenging career and still achieved plenty of success, which is why he edges Messi.
The ex-Real Madrid attacker also claimed that Ronaldo proved himself in more number of leagues than Messi. He told FootballItalia, as quoted by Desporto AO Minuto:
"If I had to choose, I think I would have to take into account the fact that it was harder for Cristiano. He was voted the best player in the world at Manchester United, he won the Champions League at Manchester United, which was a little more difficult."
Baptista added:
"Messi was always with good players, but Cristiano played in several different places. So for me, what Cristiano did was harder than what Messi did. Ronaldo has more variety in the CV, and I think we should applaud him for that and reward him as GOAT, too."
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing at the highest level at the age of 37 and 40, respectively. Messi has eight goals and three assists in 10 games this season while Ronaldo has 32 goals and four assists in 35 appearances this campaign.