Dear Alex Onyia,
You probably don’t realize what you’ve done.
It’s been days, and people still can’t stop talking about you. They waited to see you and your participants fail, but God had other plans.
The meltdown has been crazy
This is one thing about most Messi fans, they want everyone to agree by force that Messi is the GOAT or the better player, as if those are objective facts. They’re not. They’re opinions.
First of all, what does it actually mean to be called the GOAT?
A GOAT isn’t just the most gifted footballer. It’s someone who combines greatness in every category:
Dominance
Longevity
Consistency
Impact
Adaptability
Trophies and records
Clutch moments
When you put all of those together, Ronaldo has the strongest GOAT case.
Records, awards and trophies alone have never decided who the GOAT is. If they do, there won’t be debates about Pele and Maradona. Greatness has always been bigger than just medals.
Ironically, if we’re talking about records, Ronaldo’s résumé is stacked. He’s football’s all-time leading goalscorer, has won league titles in multiple countries, conquered England, Spain and Italy, dominated the Champions League, and remained an elite goalscorer into his 40s.
Then let’s talk about who the better footballer is.
For me, it’s Ronaldo because he’s the most complete attacker football has ever seen.
He can score with either foot. He is arguably the greatest header of the ball in football history. His movement off the ball is unmatched. His positioning is crazy. He can score inside the box, outside the box, from free kicks, penalties, volleys, long range, first-time finishes, counter-attacks and crosses. He has pace, power, aerial dominance and athleticism.
Most importantly, he evolved.
He wasn’t the same player at 22, 28, 33 or 39. He constantly adapted his game to remain the best. That shows football intelligence.
He also proved himself in different leagues, different tactical systems and under different managers. Every time people doubted whether he could adapt, he answered on the pitch.
People often confuse aesthetics with effectiveness.
Just because a player looks smoother on the ball doesn’t automatically make him the better footballer.
Efficiency > aesthetics.
If someone prefers Messi’s style of play, that’s completely fine. Football is subjective, and everyone has their preference.
But let’s not act like preferring Ronaldo is irrational when his career gives you every reason to put him at the top.
And even if anyone want to argue Messi is the more naturally gifted player, being the most talented isn’t the same as being the GOAT.
The GOAT conversation is about the complete body of work. It goes far beyond the better player.
Just look at Ronaldo’s influence for example, that’s how you Know he’s the GOAT.
I still remember 2006. My brother called me to watch a match, and there you were gliding past defenders like a wizard. I asked, “Who’s that?” He smiled and said, “That’s Ronaldo.”
From that day, I fell in love with you and football.
You are HIM. One of One. Maestro. ❤️
I didn't know Nigeria had whiz kids who killed it, in Rome, yesterday.
I would have gone to cheer them.
Just one hour flight.
From one scholar to another, handing in my respect to those kids. Would have been nice.
Today, Enugu Airport was at a standstill when Chimdiebube Onwubiko arrived home with his teacher. Everyone was there to welcome our hero.
This is the greatest educational reception in the South East.
Tomorrow, Imo State will be at a standstill. The government and all the people of Imo State are preparing a grand reception for Egejurum Onyedikachi and Don Anele Munachimso.
They have done the South East proud by becoming world champions in Mathematics.
The educational awakening in the South East has entered another dimension, and this is just the beginning.
He was 27 at that point
He had only 1 UCL and 1 BDO compared to Messi’s 3 UCL and 4 BDO.
He was taunted and humiliated every time by the media but refused to back down until he leveled it to 5-5 BDOs with 5 UCLs
Nothing you’ll tell me- that’s the greatest player ever!
Your husband never respected these rights as governor.
He violated mine for 162 days without trial. He is lucky that he even goes to court, some of us were abducted and kept without any form of trial until he was satisfied to let us free.
While I am against any form of persecution regardless of who it is being done to, I thought I should remind you ma'am that your husband was a dictator who never obeyed court orders that went against him and his ego.
Mark their faces and remember their names: Chimdiebube Onwubiko, Egejurum Onyedikachi Ethan, and Don Anele Munachimso. They will all be global superstars.
You wonder what’s next after the Olympiad? The show is about to begin.
You will follow their live journey to greatness.
We will be introducing an Education Hall of Fame, and they will be inducted. This team will travel to several countries for competitions, and we will all enjoy the journey.
New outstanding students will join them, while those who are going to university will become exco members.
Each and every one of them will get into an Ivy League university in the US or top universities in the UK or Europe.
This is the time for education to take its place in our society.
- robbed 4 ballon d'ors (lewandowski, sneijder, van dijk, and haaland)
- won a rigged world cup surrounded by biased officiating where your team received a record five penalties in a single tournament
- robbed the 2014 world cup golden ball
- received human growth hormone treatment, which gave you a long-term athletic advantage
- played for a club that paid millions to companies linked to negreira, the vice-president of spain's refereeing committee, during one of the most successful periods in its history
- benefited from controversial refereeing in major champions league ties, including chelsea (2009), real madrid (2011), and psg (2017) no name a few
“greatest of all time” my ass.
Next year’s International STEM Olympiad Grand Finale will be held in Lisbon, Portugal.
We will discover a new set of super brilliant students who will represent us and win gold.
We must discover these hidden geniuses and showcase them to the world.