“The only thing Ronaldo is ahead of Messi is age” - When Zlatan made controversial claim in Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate
Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic once pitched in on the GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and created quite a stir on social media. The prolific journeyman, who was one of the world's best players himself, said in 2022 (via SPORTbible):
"The only thing Ronaldo is ahead of Messi is the age."
While the Swede is entitled to his opinion, it did not stop fans of the Portuguese goal machine from attacking the 42-year-old at the time. Conversely, it won Ibrahimovic the support of La Pulga's fans, as both sets of supporters are known to never see eye-to-eye on any topic.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic played with the Argentine maestro at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola for 42 games, jointly participating for 10 goals. Lionel Messi was at his scintillating best at the time and it likely colored the big Swede’s opinion.
Zlatan did not play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and did not get the better of him, in general, when they faced each other. A notable example of CR7 besting Zlatan is the World Cup qualifiers for the 2014 tournament where a Ronaldo hat-trick saw Sweden miss out on the tournament.
Ronaldo and Messi are clearly two of the best players to ever take to the football pitch. It is unlikely for someone to pick one over the other without outrage on social media, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic found out.
Wayne Rooney chooses Lionel Messi over former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in GOAT debate
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as the football GOAT. The England legend played alongside Ronaldo for five years for the Red Devils and faced off against La Pulga a couple of times, which might have helped shape his opinion.
The recently announced Plymouth Argyle boss said (via GOAL):
“I think Messi, he’s the best ever. I get a lot of stick for saying Messi where it’s as if, ‘How can you say Messi, it’s Ronaldo.’ I understand that people can say Messi, people can say Ronaldo – they are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game. For me, Messi has just got that little bit more flair, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason.”
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to play and can realistically extend their impressive legacies. They will both represent their nations in the Euros and Copa America this summer and will look to gain even more glory.