Forget the chicken or the egg, this is the debate that has been going on for longer than anyone can remember.
Everyone has an answer - you either think the diminutive Argentinian Lionel Messi is the greatest player to grace the planet or Real Madrid hitman Cristiano Ronaldo is just that bit better.
But who is the GOAT? Who is the one who will go down in history? Who really deserves the title of best ever?
Well, who better to answer that than a handful of players who have been lucky enough to play with both...
Carlos Tevez: Ronaldo - Manchester United and Messi - Argentina
"Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo it comes naturally.
"Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport.
"For Messi to score three goals [in any given game] is normal. "
Answer: Messi
Angel di Maria: Ronaldo - Real Madrid and Messi - Argentina
"Messi is always the best, he's the best every year.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's a special player, but Messi's from another planet. There are no words to describe Messi, he always surprises you."
Answer: Messi
Henrik Larsson: Ronaldo - Manchester United and Messi - Barcelona
"Cristiano is unlucky to be playing at the same time as Messi. Ronaldo is a very good player, but Messi is even better."
"He is from out of this world. He's so good that it's almost incredible. When you see him with the ball at his feet it's hard to believe that anybody else could do the same. He's a fantastic player to see."
Answer: Messi
Andre Gomes: Ronaldo - Portugal and Messi - Barcelona
"I do not like to compare them out of respect.
I will never answer it. I'm Portuguese and I have affection for Cristiano, as much as I do for Messi, who is my teammate at Barcelona."
Answer: N/A
Deco: Ronaldo - Portugal and Messi - Barcelona
"Cristiano was young and athletic, very competitive. Messi worked hard to do what he can do with a football now at Barcelona.
"Ronaldinho was a natural with special ability. Whenever we gave the ball to him, the moves and goals were from a different world. He was far more gifted than Leo or Cristiano."
Answer: Ronaldinho
So there you have it, three went for Messi, one didn't have a clue and Deco, well Deco clearly doesn't rate either of them.
Maybe we should all be a bit more like Deco...
surajgautam
514
Both are the best footballers of our Era [messi][CR7]
U.S.A5304998
496
Messi is better, he doesn't wait for the ball to get passed to him. he works for the team, not for his accolades. Messi is here and there on the field
Abdik
486
Love both but if I have to pick one for my team then it's definitely Messi. Messi is claimed to be the best by all time legends 1. Pele 2. Maradona 3. Ronaldinho 4. Ronaldo
farah10
483
Some say Ronaldo some one say messi But we love FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOREVER
Malengejoseph
155
try to give them el Classico. face to face. and finally you will have the answer
ChelseaQueen1
121
Comparing CR7 to Messi is a forever debate amongst Football lovers. From my own persective, the two players are good & they have different gifts but I prefer to say that Messi is a football Miracle from God, scoring lots of goals and running like cr7 can be found in many players but Leo only uses his left foot to compete & still some of Genius skills can't be found in others. LeoMessi is a player who defies Football description.....no words to describe him. Yes Cr7 might ve achieved Ballon d'or 5 times cos of his goals Scoring gift/abilities but Messi got there b4 him u know....& even if Cr7 wins it more than Messi, still that doesn't make Messi not to be who he is👌
ArcNelRM
115
I can Relate better to Ronaldo, I'm a boxer, I was bullied when I was younger, but now I'm 134 pounds undefeated in my amateur career, I worked for everything I'm today I don't try to think of what others think of me, I just do it because I love my sport, i love how it feels when you win, how it feels when you read you're opponent, I know it's 2 different sports, but I admire a hard worker and C Ronaldo is one of the most giving, successful people I've seen in this Era man is great at what he does on and off the field, he understands life... Both are great both are enjoyable like I said I feel most can relate to C Ronaldo more then Messi, which is okay.
Crisofiso
95
Those 5 players are Argentine therefore what do you expect to hear from them. Messi is more magical when playing at the nou camp and this is why his away goal scoring ratio is less. He doesn't score too many goals away from the camp nou, and before anyone argue on this they should research what I'm saying. The only away champions league goal this season is the gift that was gifted to him by Christiansen against Chelsea at the standford bridge. Over the years all of his goals in the champions league have been scored at the nou camp. Over the years Barcelona have been making comebacks at the camp nou due to what I'm saying. Based on this and other factors I would put Ronaldo above him.
Nana31
80
Everybody has his own opinion towards them both like wise me, i love them both bcos Messi is good with the ball and think very fast which makes him does amazing and mouth opening things in the field no doubt.. Ronaldo is not a dribbling type that holds the ball for that long to create chance but he have his own style which makes him different too, Ronaldo is a fight and he love competition a lot so he work hard to stay on top always and he has always delivered unlike Messi who is naturally skilful.. Have ever imagine if there was no Ronaldo what football would have turn into in the hand of Messi bcos there will not be any competition Messi would have been winning the world best every year... So we should thank Ronaldo for been around that's why we all love football bcos they both exist..
Ronaldo is GOAT
80
Messi is a great dribbler and playmaker. Ronaldo is probably the prototype for a perfect number 9, he can head the ball and strike it with both feet. There is no denying that These two are some of the greatest player ever, so don’t argue over who is better because it is a never ending argument. They can be the GOAT’s together. ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🥇🥇🏆🏆🥇🥇🏆🏆🐐🐐
Barbaroja
64
Saying the truth, that Messi is the greatest footballer to ever grace the pitch.... This is not disrespectful to Cristiano Ronaldo or any other player, for that matter. To be mentioned in the same sentence as Messi, the GOAT, is an honor. C Ronaldo is perhaps the best poacher on the planet, but that's because Messi is clearly not from this planet. More than just the knack for scoring and assisting, Messi's brilliance is in his vision and understanding of what's going on around him, coupled with his interstellar dribbling and ball control mixed with insane agility, balance, and pace. Messi creates and orchestrates like a maestro, whereas C Ronaldo is a talented work horse with outstanding finishing.
Ravibharati
61
Both the majestic Cristano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the greatest footballer all time so respect both the player football is a fail game and for me both of them are good in football so respect both though you may love any one but the fact is that the both ruled the modern football era and becomes the god of football....Messi and Ronaldo .....
Rubenk
57
#1 Winning every individual and team honor with two clubs #2 Scoring 300 La Liga goals in just 286 games  Ronaldo's record of 300 goals in just 286 games is a La Liga record. Since Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009, it is fair to say that he has been nothing short of a goal scoring miracle. The Real Madrid legend has spent his time in Spain devastating goalkeepers season after season and in just his 286th game in La Liga, he scored his 300th goal which is the quickest any player has achieved this #3 Scoring 50 goals for 6 consecutive seasons at one of the Top-5 leagues  Ronaldo celebrating a goal in the Champions League Being the quickest player to score 300 La Liga goals isn't the only indicator of what an unparalleled goal scorer Ronaldo is. His feat of scoring 50 goals in a season for 6 consecutive seasons in a top league is a truly mind blowing accomplishment To make this achievement stand out even more, Lionel Messi has only managed to do this consecutively for 3 seasons. To score 50 goals in one season is remarkable, but to do it in 6 consecutive seasons at the highest level of football is beyond belief and for that reason it will be a virtually impossible record to break in the future. Ronaldo's six consecutive seasons where he hit at least 50 goals: 10/11: 54 apps 53 goals 11/12: 55 apps 60 goals 12/13: 55 apps 55 goals 13/14: 47 apps 51 goals 14/15: 54 apps 61 goals 15/16: 48 apps 51 goals #4 Scoring more than 10 Champions League goals in 7 consecutive seasons  A victorious Ronaldo holds the Champions League trophy aloft The Champions League is the competition that Cristiano Ronaldo performs at his highest level, and this is evidenced by numerous records he holds in the most elite club tournament. None of these achievements illustrate his dominance more than his record of scoring more than 10 goals a season for seven consecutive seasons in the Champions League. To put this record into greater context, no other player has managed to achieve this feat for more than 2 seasons despite the tournament being over 60 years old and it is for this reason that it seems highly unlikely that this record will be broken even in the future. In addition, with Ronaldo still dominating the Champions League in terms of scoring, it is almost certain that he will extend this record - thereby making it even harder to break.
Mustafa nba
56
dedication and hardwork makes a man perfect ....and it's is the best formula of life ... without dedication there is no happiness and no success ...if you want to get success through hardwork and dedication Cristiano is the best example . . trophies and numbers don't lie ....viva cristiano
Yeheinpuz
50
That's a fully biased argument that Leo is better than CR7. Every one of them is having his own characters to be presented on the pitch. Look at what happened in Barcelona and Real Madrid's matches against Bayern Munchen and B. Dortmund respectively. What did Messi and CR7 do for their teams? Though they both did not qualify for the next stage, Ronaldo was able to score in both legs but Messi didn't and he witnessed his team loosing 7-0 in both legs. Think of what happens when both are having tough games especially when they face teams from other European leagues like Bundesliga. Think of what happened last season, when Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the first leg; what did Messi do for his team? The same Jvventus were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in the UEFA final, with Ronaldo scoring twice. Ronaldo arrived at Madrid in 2009 having only 15 UEFA goals that he scored during his time at Manchester United, today he is having 117 goals, compered to Leo's 100. Again, he won a Ballon D'or in the EPL, where since his departure, none of the players has done so. Again, he arrived in Madrid with only a Balloon D'or but today they both have five. Look at what happened last year from the UEFA quarter to the final, you don't need someone to remind you. Look at what happened yesterday (March 18th 2018). CR7 netted four times and an assist in a 6-3 win at Girona; does someone still need to question something about this Goal Machine? Let's be frank. He had a five-mach ban in the beginning of this season but today, he is second in the pichichi race, having 22 La liga goals (only three goals behind his rival, Leo). What do you want him to do so that you appreciate his work? What if Ronaldo was in La liga since 2004? He is a Goal Machine and of course he cannot look similar in each and everything. He is talented, while Messi is gifted(Natural). All in all, the two are having traits and skills which operate in tandem Messi is known in dribbling and playing the team, possessing the ball and running with it on all sides of the pitch, things that Ronaldo almost doesn't have, though they both score. CR7 is very mobile, changing on the pitch according to the nature of the game, scoring skills, etc. It is not that simple to say one is better than the other. If you do so, there is no doubt that you will end up doing biases. Jordan Msigwa-Oringa town-Tanzania.
cetacdimoy
45
Will u please stop this?! No one is blind.. Every 1 can see clearly Messi is not only best in modern era, he is best of all time. Ronaldo is a fantastic player no doubt. But Messi could do anything in da pitch, what even u can't see in ur dreams..
raebcdop
44
Messi is the best for me. He is the complete player. Defending, distributing, assisting and scoring! His movement on the ball is unique to himself but most of all he is a fair player. Messi will not dive to get a penalty. The small guy is always on his feet.
zupeiknpyz
40
this is really stupid. this app favouritism messi.. asking Argentines to vote for best player ? lol what a joke. what you expect from them other than voting a fellow countryman ? and andre gomes , a Barcelona player. he don't wanna answer because that will get him kicked off from the club lol. ' you play if you're messi's friend ' everyone in spain knows that very well. im from spain and im a Madridista and if you ask me ' who is my hero or best in the world is ' my answer is andrés iniesta, not some foreigners. non of them didn't won the world cup for us , iniesta did.
Thanks for been truthfull , Iniesta deserved to win the ballon d’ or in 2010 , Iniesta won all that Messi won plus won the World Cup for Spain and scored the winning goal . That year they gave it to Messi , should’ve been Iniesta .... Blatter again gave Messi the best World Cup player in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil ( what a laugh ) !!!!! They both are the very best players , but because Blatter and the UEFA chief Platini hated Ronaldo ( and they had a lot of influence in choices ) just says how good Ronaldo was and is .
HarshTrivedi
36
They both are legends We have to be thankful that we living in the era of these two legends
raziraz
36
Always I say Leo MESSI because of following reason 1.In his 10 years(and counting) for Barcelona, Messi has amassed six La Ligas, two Copas del Rey, five Supercopas de Espana, FOUR UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups 2.He holds the Guinness World Records title for the most goals in a year: 91 goals in 2012 Most international goals in a year (club and national team): 25 goals 3.He holds the record for the most consecutive league matches scored in: 21 matches (33 goals) 4.Messi is the first footballer ever to score consecutively against all teams in a professional league 5.Messi is the first and only player to top-score in four consecutive Champions League campaigns. 6.He also has the maximum number of hat tricks in the competition. 7.In March 2012, Messi made Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match. 8.The Argentina international holds the record for most La Liga hat-tricks in one season with eight. 9.Messi holds with Batistuta the record for Most Goals Scored for Argentina in One Year – 12. 10.March 2014, with a hat-trick against Real Madrid, Messi became the player with most goals and most hat-tricks in the history of El Clásico. 11.In the La Liga, he has the record for the most goals scored for a single club -354. 12.He has the record for the most goals scored in La Liga in a season: 50 goals 13.He holds the record for the most La Liga hat-tricks in a season: 8 hat-tricks 14.He is also the youngest player to score 200 La Liga goals: 25 years
official_mhaziq
31
Ehmmmmm
Niugini Barca
23
Such things don't happen always, two football greats playing in the same era, the comparison kinda added onto the excitement too. Now that they're still on the field, we are comparing them but in a few years time when they both leave, we will sit back & tell the future generation that we were those lucky bastards who have created the greatest rivalry between ourselves for two of the MOST TALENTED & DETERMINED players of the sport..
Honpan Wangnao Naga
22
Before I was interested in football, didn't even know what football was!! some of my friends were Ronaldo fan when he was in Manchester United he was good but not enough to catch my eyes then after some time I saw Messi he was so incredible , Fantastic , so small but could beat players 2times stronger, 2time's larger than him , For him number of players doesn't matter Conclusion : I love football because I love Messi, I don't know if I'll watch football again after Messi Retire