Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Former Manchester United star Diego Forlan picks between the 2 superstars
Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan recently chose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Having dominated football for over two decades, Ronaldo and Messi are hailed as two of the greatest players ever.
The two juggernauts have scored over 1700 goals (combined), maintaining a 13-year duopoly on the prestigious Ballon d'Or award and winning nine Champions League titles between them.
In a video shared by GOAL, Diego Forlan, 45, can be seen playing a game to choose between a montage of La Liga legends. After choosing between veterans like Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Xavi, Sergio Ramos, and many others, Forlan was asked to pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Uruguayan said:
"To change a little bit, Messi."
Forlan has clashed against Lionel Messi on 13 occasions for club and country. Among them, the Uruguayan has won six games and lost seven. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo and Forlan played together at Manchester United between 2002 and 2004.
They shared the pitch only once, against Northampton Town in the Fourth Round of FA Cup 2003-04. Forlan scored a goal, assisted by the Portugal striker, in that match, with the Red Devils winning 3-0.
Both Messi and Ronaldo are nearing the age of 40 and have moved outside Europe. While Lionel Messi is filling stadiums in the United States with Inter Miami, Cristiano Ronaldo is breaking records in the Middle East with Al-Nassr.
Carlos Tevez once explained the difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
During an interview with ESPN Argentina in 2018, former Argentine striker Carlos Tevez pointed out the difference between the two veterans. Tevez said while Lionel Messi is a manifestation of raw talent, Cristiano Ronaldo is a product of years of hard work.
“Cristiano is totally different to Messi,” explained Tevez (as per One Football). When Leo was starting out, he didn’t touch a gym. But Cristiano was there in the morning, afternoon and evening, all the time."
"Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while, for Leo, it comes naturally. Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For Messi to score three goals (in any given game) is normal," he added.
Carlos Tevez, 40, shared the pitch with both Ronaldo and Messi. The Argentine played with Cristiano Ronaldo for two seasons at Manchester United.
Ronaldo has been prolific for Al-Nassr in the 2024-25 season so far. In four games, the Portuguese has scored as many goals and two assists.
However, Messi has been out of action since the 2024 Copa America final in July. The Argentine picked up an ankle injury in the final and is expected to make a comeback before the MLS play-offs begin in October.