“The one who makes more differences” - When Brazil icon Rivaldo made his choice in Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate
The age-old GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the most hyped rivalries in football. Legends of the game, pundits and fans have taken their pick over time, while the duo continued to dominate world football over two decades.
When it comes to the Messi vs Ronaldo question, Brazilian legend Rivaldo has always been in favor of Lionel Messi. The former footballer made his feelings clear for the first time in a 2017 interview with Betfair.
"I would like to play with Messi. It would be amazing. He is the best of the world, the one who makes more differences," Rivaldo said.
Despite preferring Messi, Rivaldo also shared his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo in the same interview, and added:
"Cristiano Ronaldo? He is the most dangerous player at Real. It's hard to stop him, like Messi. This is because both score a lot of goals, and you never know what is going to be the next thing they will invent for scoring."
In 2019, Rivaldo reiterated his admiration for Messi, after Barcelona's 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final first leg. The Catalan side eventually lost to the Reds 4-0 in the second leg (4-3 aggregate), bowing out of the tournament. He said (via mirror.co.uk):
"I don't think Barcelona will ever have a player like Messi in its history. He is unique and the best player in the world. Honestly, I do not see anyone this season [2018-19] capable of overshadowing him to win the individual awards for best player on the planet. And we are only in May! But he's going to win everything: Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player."
Rivaldo was eventually proven correct, as the Argentine legend won his record sixth Ballon d'Or award in the 2018-19 season. He went on to win two more of the coveted award in 2021 and 2023.
When Rivaldo believed he could challenge both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his time
While Rivaldo was appreciative of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his aforementioned 2017 interview with Betfair, he claimed that there were more talented players competing with each other during his time. The Brazilian said:
"In my time there were more players than today challenging for being the best in the world. I remember Figo, Del Piero or Totti, now you always hear about the same players and I am pretty sure I could challenge with Messi and Ronaldo because football was harder in my times."
Rivaldo added:
"I am not here for controversy, I'll just say that both are very good players. However, in my time you could find more quality players than today, in which you only hear about Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar."
Rivaldo played for Lionel Messi's former club, Barcelona, between 1997 and 2002. The Brazilian won the Ballon d'Or in 1999.