The day Lionel Messi was born and the day he decided to play football was the day the GOAT debate ended.
The biggest beneficiary of the Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate is Ronaldo himself. Without that debate, people would view him the same way they view other legendary goalscorers like Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Alan Shearer, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappรฉ, and other elite forwards. Great? Absolutely. But not on Messi's level.
The gift and footballing ability Messi possesses is the kind of talent that comes around once in a lifetime. Every generation seems to have that one person who completely separates themselves from everyone else in their field.
โข Michael Jackson โ Music
โข William Shakespeare โ Literature
โข Michael Jordan โ Basketball
โข Muhammad Ali โ Boxing
โข Albert Einstein โ Physics
โข Leonardo da Vinci โ Art
โข Usain Bolt โ Sprinting
โข Magnus Carlsen โ Chess
โข Steve Jobs โ Consumer Technology
โข Nikola Tesla โ Electrical Engineering
That's the category Messi belongs in. Some talents are simply beyond debate.
You can say Ronaldo inspired you that's perfectly fine. You can admire his mentality, hard work, consistency, and incredible achievements. He deserves immense credit for all of that.
But calling him the greatest footballer of all time when Lionel Messi exists? I can't agree. In my opinion, he's not even in the top five greatest footballers ever. Credit to Ronaldo for his relentless work ethic and consistency over the years, but greatness and talent are not always the same thing. Those of us who have watched football with our own eyes know the difference.
Morgan Rogers confirms Cole Palmer non-stop called him to join Chelsea.๐
"Iโve known Cole since I was about 14, first in the England [youth] teams and then when we were both at Man City together. Weโve been speaking about this for a while; we always would love to have played together. So, for it to happen, weโre both excited.
"Heโs non-stop ringing my phone, texting me, and I canโt wait. I think thatโs probably the most special thing, playing with one of your best friends and being around him every day. Itโs something Iโm really excited about."
๐จ ๐ก๐๐ช: Xavi doing a World Cup knock-out.
โข Messi or Mo Salah? "Messi."
โข Yamal or Kane? "Lamine Yamal."
โข Cristiano or Vinicius? "Vinicius."
โข Mbappรฉ or Haaland? "Haaland."
โข Vinicius or Haaland? "Haaland."
โข Messi or Yamal? "Messi."
โข Messi or Haaland? "Messi."
๐โจ Rodri enters special club of 7 players able to win Champions League, World Cup, Ballon dโOr and continental trophy.
๐ฉ๐ช Franz Beckenbauer
๐ฉ๐ช Gerd Mรผller
๐ซ๐ท Zinedine Zidane
๐ง๐ท Rivaldo
๐ง๐ท Ronaldinho
๐ฆ๐ท Lionel Messi
๐๐ช๐ธ Rodri
Seven players have won the World Cup, Ballon d'Or, Champions League and their international continental title:
๐ฉ๐ช Franz Beckenbauer
๐ฉ๐ช Gerd Mรผller
๐ซ๐ท Zinedine Zidane
๐ง๐ท Rivaldo
๐ง๐ท Ronaldinho
๐ฆ๐ท Lionel Messi
๐ช๐ธ ๐๐จ๐๐ซ๐ข
Football, completed.
๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐: Rodri now has won EVERY major trophy possible.
๐ FIFA World Cup
๐ European Championship
๐ UEFA Nations League
๐ Ballon dโOr
๐ UEFA Champions League
๐ Premier League
๐ FA Cup
๐ League Cup
๐ Community Shield
๐ FIFA Club World Cup
๐ UEFA Super Cup
๐จ๐ฃ๏ธ Pau Cubarsรญ: "Sharing the pitch with Messi is a great honor. When I saw him, I said to myself: Is this real?
It pains me to see him lose, as he is my role model. ๐ฅบ๐