Liverpool legend Graeme Souness changes opinion on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has changed his opinion on the ever-going debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, picking the latter as the greater of the two.

The former Scotland midfielder has also insisted that both players have surpassed the late Diego Maradona in his opinion thanks to their incredible longevity.

Cristiano Ronaldo made history on Sunday by scoring the 700th goal of his club career. The Portuguese superstar came on from the bench to replace Anthony Martial and scored the winner for the Red Devils as they defeated Everton 2-1.

Souness has claimed that he always fancied Lionel Messi over his arch-rival but has since changed his mind.

The iconic former Liverpool midfielder has claimed that Ronaldo has been a success in three of the top five leagues, which is why he ranks higher than Messi in his opinion. He told talkSPORT:

“I’ve always leaned towards Messi. They’re the two best ever for me.”

𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬.
What a beautiful number we’ve achieved together!
Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, clubs, family & friends and of course my fans.
United we continue! 🙏🏽 https://t.co/oYWo766Xcl

TalkSPORT presenter Jim White chipped in to pitch Maradona's name during the discussion.

However, Souness insisted that both Messi and Ronaldo have overtaken the Argentine maestro due to their longevity. White remarked:

"You’ve played against Maradona.”

Souness replied:

“Yeah, but longevity comes into it."

“If Maradona had been playing until the end, we would be talking about him in the same breath I’m sure, but because of the longevity."

Souness has claimed Ronaldo's success in Spain, Italy and England makes him a bigger success than Lionel Messi. He added:

“See Ronaldo has done it in the big leagues, hasn’t he? Messi has huffed and puffed in the French league.

“He obviously did the business in Spain and in the Champions League. Which for me was taking the argument away as why he wasn’t such a player for Argentina."

He added:

“Because he’s still playing against the same players in the Champions League every fortnight and making them look like schoolboys. But Cristiano has done it in three leagues now.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the game for more than a decade and a half

The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been cherished by fans across the globe for nearly two decades now.

Despite both of them being fading forces, they remain the biggest brands in world football and among the biggest across all sports.

🚨 66 per cent of former footballers believe Cristiano Ronaldo has had a better career than Lionel Messi https://t.co/tQZETzSTMK

Their consistency levels over the years have been ridiculous and it is evident from the fact that they have won 12 Ballons d'Or between them.

The two legends have noticeably slowed down and their performances are no longer at par with their peak powers. With both superstars approaching the final stages of their respective careers, we are set to witness the end of an era.