Former FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario has made his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as two of the greatest players to have graced the beautiful game. Having emerged in the scene two decades ago, the duo are still going strong despite being on the wrong side of 30, having amassed over 800 goals for club and country.
The legendary players, who recently moved out of European football, have, unsuprisingly, won countless big titles and individual honours and looking good to add more to their illustrious cabinets.
Meanwhie, 2002 FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario was a world-class striker himself during his playing days. So, does he go with his namesake in the GOAT debate between the Portuguese and Messi?
In a quickfire question segment with Mail Sport, the Brazilian went with Messi when asked to choose between the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner and Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo.
In other questions in the segment, Nazario termed Kylian Mbappe as the best striker in the world at the moment and tipped Spain to win the upcoming 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Meanwhile, he picked Paulo Maldini as the best defender in the game and Manchester City to win the Premier League.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared in 2024?
Ronaldo arrived at Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr in December 2022 on a free transfer after two decades in European football with some of the continent’s biggest clubs.
Lionel Messi followed suit a few months later, joining MLS side Inter Miami last summer. The Argentinian is off to a hot start to his 2024 season after a quiet preseason – one goal in six games.
After assisting in the 2-0 home win over Real Salt Lake in Miami’s MLS opener, Messi struck a late equaliser in the last-gasp 1-1 draw at LA Galaxy. The Argentinian then registered his first MLS brace as the Herons triumped Orlando City 5-0 at home before scoring in the 2-2 CONCACAF Champions Cup.Round of 16 first leg at Nashville.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, scored in his first four competitive games in 2024 before drawing blanks in his next two outings: a 1-0 loss at Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League quarterfinal first leg and a 3-1 home loss to Al-Raed in the SPL.