Kalvin Phillips settles GOAT debate involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with clear choice
West Ham United midfielder Kalvin Phillips made his GOAT pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi are widely regarded as two of the best players in the sport's history. In illustrious careers for club and country spanning two decades, both legends have scored goals galore - over 800 - and won a plethora of big titles and individual honours.
Despite being on the wrong side of 30, the two superstars continue to go strong, showing little signs of stopping any time soon, having recently ventured out of European football to pastures anew (Ronaldo - Saudi Pro League; Messi - MLS).
In a fun video uploaded by Messi Xtra, Phillips was asked to make a pick between two players by tilting his head in the direction of the player of his choice. After a few rounds, Messi and Ronaldo remained. The former Manchester City man tilted his head towards Messi.
Here's the video:
Among his earlier choices, Phillips picked Messi above Kylian Mbappe, and Ronaldo above Harry Kane.
Interestingly, in the fun segment, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was 'eliminated' early, with Thierry Henry getting Phillips' nod at the expense of the Norwegian.
How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared in 2024?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have started off the new year in great form. Ronaldo, 39, has continued from where he left off in 2023 - top-scoring for club and country with 54 strikes.
The Portugal captain netted in his first four competitive outings for Al-Nassr before drawing a blank in the 1-0 AFC Champions League quarterfinal first-leg defeat at Al-Ain in midweek.
Meanwhile, Messi, 36, endured a quiet offseason - scoring once in six games - but has hit the ground running in the 2024 MLS campaign. After providing an assist in their 2-0 home win over Real Salt Lake in their season opener, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner scored a stoppage-time equaliser at 10-man LA Galaxy.
In his most recent outing for the Herons earlier this week, Messi registered his first MLS brace as Tata Martino's side overwhelmed Orlando City 5-0 at home in the league.