Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo has picked his favorite between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The question has been thrown at many footballers over the years, with the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry still forming a considerable part of the sport.
The Brazilian was quick to make his pick. He chose club legend Ronaldo over Messi, who spent the majority of his career for Los Blancos' arch-rivals Barcelona.
“Messi or Ronaldo? Ronaldo,” Rodrygo said (via Madrid Zone).
Rodrygo joined Real Madrid in a €45 million move from Santos in 2019, just a year after Ronaldo left for Juventus. As a result, the youngster didn't get the opportunity to share the pitch with the Portuguese, who now plays in the Saudi Pro League.
He has played against Messi, however, in five matches. Two of those games came when the Argentine was still with Barcelona while another two came when he was representing Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Rodrygo and Messi also squared off when Argentina and Brazil met in an international friendly in November 2019. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot.
The Brazil international has grown in stature since joining Los Blancos. He has now made 165 appearances for them, scoring 37 and assisting 32 goals across competitions. He has also won one Champions League trophy and two La Liga titles with them so far.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, left Real Madrid in 2018 as their greatest goal-scorer of all time. He scored a staggering 450 goals in just 438 matches for Los Blancos across competitions and also provided 131 assists.
Cristiano Ronaldo takes indirect swipe at Lionel Messi
While Ronaldo now plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, Messi recently joined Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS).
While speaking to the media after his side's 5-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly recently, the Portuguese made a bold claim that the Saudi league is better than the MLS.
“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” he said (via The Guardian). "Now all the players are coming here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia."
The Saudi Pro League has seen a host of top European players join them this summer. This includes the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly among others.
Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in December 2022, has scored 14 goals in 19 league games in Saudi Arabia.