Former Manchester United and Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi has named Argentine icon Lionel Messi as the ultimate football legend, placing him above Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
In a conversation with the British sports streaming service DAZN, Rossi faced the challenging question of choosing between his ex-teammate at Manchester United and the famed Barcelona maestro.
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He responded: “They both bring different things to the game, that’s why it’s so hard to compare them. Ronaldo went from a winger to being the best number nine on the planet, scoring goals is all he cares about.”
Picking Messi over Ronaldo and hailing the former, Rossi said: “Messi is a goalscorer but he facilitates and I appreciate that as a player who likes to come deep and get the ball.
“He’s a more cerebral player and therefore some people don’t understand that part of the game. So that’s why I lean more towards watching him play. It’s all about preference, all about preference.”
Messi is currently enjoying an impressive season with Inter Miami, boasting an extraordinary collection of eight Ballon d’Or trophies.
At 36, Messi’s European club career saw him score 704 goals and provide 338 assists across 853 matches.
Ronaldo, who trails by three Ballon d’Ors compared to the 2022 FIFA World Cup champion, has scored 701 goals and made 223 assists in 949 European club appearances.
At 39, Ronaldo continues to be a formidable force in football. Meanwhile, earlier this February, former Chelsea and Real Madrid standout Eden Hazard made the bold claim that he surpassed Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo in skill.
He told L’Equipe (h/t Football365): “Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. I loved watching the Barcelona player, less so at the end, but he’s the greatest in history. It’s impossible to take the ball away from him. Cristiano is a bigger player than me, but in terms of pure football, I honestly don’t think so.”
Hazard, who lifted two league titles in England and Spain, added: “Neymar maybe. After that, he’s no better than me, but at Real, you’ve got the best, also in terms of their careers: [Karim] Benzema, [Luka] Modric… they were the best. [Toni] Kroos, Kevin [De Bruyne as well]… they all exude football.”
