Gary Lineker has weighed in his opinion in the debate of the greatest player of all time. The former England skipper has snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo while naming two players that should be considered in this eternal debate.
Lineker has named Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona as the two players that should be argued for the title of Greatest of all time (GOAT). He snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo in his top two while naming Lionel Messi ahead of Diego Maradona.
Lineker commented about the debate while talking to BBC: “In my real footballing lifetime, it’s between Messi and Maradona. It’s mad really, there are so many great players we’ve had… Zidane, Cruyff, the two Ronaldo’s. There’s a list. But then suddenly you’ve got these two that play a game that the rest of us are not familiar with. For me, Messi is now indisputable.”
🇦🇷⚽ Gary Lineker: “In my real footballing lifetime, it’s between Messi and Maradona.”
“It’s mad really, there’s so many great players we’ve had… Zidane, Cruyff, the two Ronaldo’s. There’s a list.”
“But then suddenly you’ve got these two that play a game that the rest of us… pic.twitter.com/gq0ZL3Bf7Q
— 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒⚡ (@adewalegangan) November 26, 2023
Lionel Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and cemented his legacy as the GOAT in the eyes of Lineker. A few eyebrows were raised when Lineker snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo from being the top candidate, however, he also explained his rationale.
Lineker added: “There are people that possibly compare the likes of Cristiano in terms of goalscoring, but in terms of the joy that they give you when you watch them, there’s nobody that compares with Lionel Messi.” In terms of goal-scoring, Ronaldo has 867 goals in 1197 appearances whereas Messi has 821 goals in 1047 but in almost every other category, Messi has the edge over Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to Gary Lineker’s opinion on the GOAT debate
This isn’t the first time Gary Lineker has voiced his opinion on the GOAT debate. Back in 2021, his comments in favor of Lionel Messi drew reactions from Cristiano Ronaldo. The debate was the topic of discussion for the BBC panel ahead of Portugal vs France in the Group F of Euro 2020.
Former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, was also on the panel alongside Lineker. Ferdinand revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo texted him after Lineker stated that Messi is leading the GOAT debate by a great margin.
Rio Ferdinand: “Cristiano Ronaldo texts me asking why Gary Lineker says Lionel Messi is better than him.” 💀
This guy is so self-obsessed & so insecure lmao😭😭 pic.twitter.com/wjASJkFoDW
— XM (@Maestro_FCB) April 17, 2022
Ferdinand revealed the message from Ronaldo while discussing the mentality of his former teammate: “It’s a great example and he uses negativity as fuel. You (Lineker) say Messi is the better out of the two. He will text me saying ‘why has he said that?’ It’s his competitive nature and you need that to be the best.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been part of this conversation for more than a decade. For many, the debate ended when Messi won the World Cup in 2022 and subsequently the record-extending 8th Ballon d’Or, however, there are still some sections of fans who argued for the Portuguese. There will never be a unanimous winner of this debate till the end of times.