"Messi doesn't even make my all-time world XI" - Piers Morgan snubs Lionel Messi as he names Cristiano Ronaldo and 10 others in his world XI
Piers Morgan has once again voiced his opinion on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate. The British personality has insisted that the Argentine does not get into his all-time XI, while the Portuguese star leads his attack.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Morgan named his all-time XI and had Gordon Banks in goal, with Cafu, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, and Roberto Carlos as his defenders. He went on to add Zinedine Zidane, Lothar Matthaus, Ronaldinho, and Diego Maradona as midfielders in his team.
For the attacks, Morgan picked Cristiano alongside Ronaldo Nazario and wrote:
"Messi doesn’t even make my all-time World XI. Assuming peak performance, this is my 🐐 team: Banks, Cafu, Baresi, Maldini, Carlos, Zidane, Matthaus, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Cristiano, Ronaldo"
Morgan has always insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo is his GOAT and spoke about it in 2022. On talkSPORT, he insisted that the FIFA World Cup win does not change the debate and said via the Daily Mail:
"I thought Messi was absolutely sensational against Croatia. He's one of the greatest players to ever play the game. The debate is, though, is he the greatest? On that I will always put up a very passionate and quite forensic defence of Ronaldo. I think he deserves that title. One World Cup does not a GOAT make. Messi hasn't even won it yet!"
Lionel Messi went on to win the FIFA World Cup and the Copa America twice with Argentina. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the EURO once and the UEFA Nations League twice in his national team career.
Stats and challenges show why Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi, claims Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan was quizzed by talkSPORT on why he preferred Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi, and he was quick to point to stats. He said that the Portuguese superstar's willingness to take up new challenges in different leagues and do well also tilts the balance.
He said via the Daily Mail:
"When you look at the stats between Ronaldo and Messi, it's important to remember Ronaldo is two years' older. It's also important to remember that, unlike Messi who stayed in his Barcelona comfort blanket for 17 years, Ronaldo has won league titles in four different countries, including the three most competitive leagues in the world. He's taken himself out of comfort zones – he could have stayed at Real Madrid for most of his career if he wanted to, but he's deliberately taken himself into new leagues and new challenges."
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to extend his stay at Al Nassr after rejecting offers to join clubs playing in the FIFA Club World Cup. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is playing at the tournament in the United States and scored the winner in the historic 2-1 win over FC Porto for Inter Miami.