Mesut Ozil asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi; surprises everyone by choosing Real Madrid star instead
Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil surprised everyone by naming Arda Guler when he was asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Germany international spent three seasons at Real Madrid playing alongside Ronaldo and shared a solid chemistry with the Portugal international.
In a video shared by Arda Guler HQ on X (formerly Twitter), Ozil was seen being asked to pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The 35-year-old was prompt in his reply and picked neither, instead naming Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler.
Guler is regarded as one of the finest talents in world football and has often been compared to Ozil for the similarities between the two. While Ozil is Turkish-German, Guler is Turkish and is also a left-footed number ten with flair, creativity and finesse.
The young attacking midfielder joined Real Madrid in 2023 in a reported €20 million deal from Fenerbahce. He only had 440 minutes across competitions in his debut season but still managed an impressive tally of six goals.
Guler helped Los Blancos win both La Liga and the Champions League last season and has won the UEFA Super Cup this season. He has made 10 appearances this campaign but has started just thrice.
Ozil was known for his exceptional eye for a pass and created a total of 81 goals for his teammates in three seasons at Real Madrid. Out of those, he provided 27 assists for Cristiano Ronaldo which is a testament to the incredible chemistry between him and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo and Ozil shared the pitch a total of 149 times for Real Madrid across three seasons and had an impressive 39 joint goal participations. On the other hand, he played 22 games against Lionel Messi winning six, drawing six and losing the other 10.
Liverpool great Steven Gerrard picks between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Liverpool great Steven Gerrard recently claimed that he would always pick Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo and Messi have split opinions in the world of football over the years but Gerrard revealed that he favors Messi over his rival.
Speaking on The Greatest Game with Jamie Carragher podcast in March 2024, the former Liverpool and England captain said:
"There are certain players who are on a different level to anyone else out there, Messi and Ronaldo."
The Al-Ettifaq manager added:
“But Ronaldo doesn’t get in my team. I am more about what you are going to do for the team. What are we going to achieve together? Ronaldo will win you things but I am more about a team player than an individual player, so I’ll always go down that road.”
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both in their late thirties and continue to amaze the world. They play for MLS giants Inter Miami and Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr respectively.