Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has claimed that Lionel Messi is the Greatest Player of All Time ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Messi vs Ronaldo debate has raged for many years, with fans divided on who, out of the Barcelona legend or the Real Madrid icon, was the better player.
Muller had his own say on the debate recently, and he claims Messi is the greater of the two players due to his ‘elegance’.
‘Who is the greatest of all time? The GOAT for me is Messi because he makes people say ‘I go to the stadium because of his elegance’ and at the same time he is very effective in scoring goals and achieving records and titles,’ Muller said speaking to DAZN.
‘Cristiano is also a strong candidate in two categories which are stats and titles, but Messi is simply more subtle and elegant.’
Some fans felt the GOAT debate had been settled after Messi lifted the World Cup in Qatar, given the fact Ronaldo crashed out of the competition after losing to Morocco.
Messi scored in each of Argentina’s knockout games, proving even at the age of 35 he still possessed that winning influence that has defined his wonderful career. He also netted twice in a final with France to lift the trophy.
Fans and pundits alike clamoured to acclaim Messi and proclaim the great debate over. It wasn’t about Ronaldo anymore, the more pertinent debate was comparing Messi to Pele and Maradona as the all-time GOAT.
As it stands, Messi (720) has scored more goals than Ronaldo (715) at club level. It’s important to remember that Ronaldo has played two more seasons than the Argentine and currently represents Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Messi is leading the race when it comes to assists. He has registered 342 compared to Ronaldo’s 226.
Messi has also scored more World Cup goals and made more World Cup appearances. However, Ronaldo has featured more times in the Champions League and found the back of the net more times in the showpiece tournament.
Finally, Messi has also won more individual awards and titles than Ronaldo. However, Ronaldo has won the league in three different countries (England, Spain and Italy).
So, it appears the debate is still in full swing and will continue until the two icons retire from professional football.
