Sport
Share
2nd October 2023
03:04pm BST
That age old debate is back again: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi, who is better?
People from all corners of the globe have chimed in with their opinion, reeling off various stats, counting the number of individual and team honours won throughout their careers but perhaps the most qualified to decide is former footballers themselves.
In the latest poll comparing the two - this time involving ex-professionals - it was Ronaldo who came out on top.
According to a poll devised by The Athletic, 66 per cent of former footballers believe that the 38-year-old has had a better career than his World Cup winning rival.
Ronaldo dominated in Europe for much of his career and won league titles in England, Spain and Italy, as well as winning the Champions League with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Messi meanwhile spent a large bulk of his career at Barcelona before a brief spell in France with Paris-Saint Germain and like Ronaldo, no longer plays his football in Europe.
The Argentine does have more individual accolades than Ronaldo though, winning seven Ballon d'Or's compared to Ronaldo's five.
But while we all continue to compare the two, Ronaldo admitted that his near 20-year rivalry with Messi is over.
Last month he said: "Rivalry? I don’t see those things like that, we shared the stage for 15 years. I’m not saying we are friends but we respect each other
"It was good, the spectators liked it.
"Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don’t have to hate Messi and vice versa. We’ve done well, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that’s the most important thing."
Related links:
Explore more on these topics:
Sport
Sport
Sport
Sport
Sport
Sport