The ex-Blaugrana striker considers a current star at Camp Nou to edge the debate with his eternal rival when it comes to the best player on the planet
Lionel Messi is a “ridiculous” talent, says former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker, with the Argentine considered to top Cristiano Ronaldo as the best in world as he brings more “joy” to his audience.
The debate regarding which of the two eternal rivals can be considered the finest of this or any other generation continues to rage.
Messi and Ronaldo have shared 10 Ballons d’Or between them and raised the bar of individual excellence to never before seen heights.
Both bring something different to the table, to complement their unworldly goalscoring ability, with South American flair countered by Portuguese power and athleticism.
Lineker admits that picking between the pair is a thankless task, given what they have both achieved and continue to deliver, but admits that, for him, the superstar at Camp Nou gets the nod over one at Juventus.
A man who spent three years with Barca in his playing days told Sport Bible when asked to make his choice between Messi and Ronaldo: “Messi.
“I love them both, but if you say on Twitter, ‘that's an unbelievably great goal from the wonderful Cristiano Ronaldo’ you'll get Messi fans on your case and if you say something brilliant about Messi, which I do a lot because he's ridiculous, you'll get Ronaldo fans on your case.
“You can love them both and admire them both which I do, but they're very different.
“Ronaldo's an athlete. He's driven, he's got the absolute best out of his game. He's the best header of the ball I've ever seen and the best goalscorer I've ever seen.
“But Messi is also as good a goalscorer as there's ever been and he's as good a passer as you'll ever see and as good a dribbler as you'll ever see.
“When I watch Ronaldo I admire him, when I watch Messi he gives me joy and for me, that's the difference.”
Amazo19234
222
Alert alert.....Ronaldo fanboys hv entered the chat...alert🚨🚨🚨🚨
Theman21
122
No need for division I think everyone can agree Messi and Ronaldo are the 2 greatest players ever!
dettaboss4l
109
To be honest Ronaldo should get credit getting 5 Balon d'ors in the era of Magical Messi
chismenta
96
Many Ronaldo fans keep talking about Ronaldo going to different league to win cups how won't he if he keeps going to clubs which will take the league with or without him are u trying to say messi at city won't see city win the pl or messi at PSG won't see PSG win Ligue 1 or even at juve. Ronaldo is just following trophies that will be taken with or without him.
davidgiahlymas
66
I just can understand your meaning of joy or happiness in football. Are you telling me that Juve or Portugal fans were not happy when the two teams lifted the the domestic and Euro cup respectively? or are you telling me that Barca fans were happy when they lost to Liverpool or the fans of Argentina were happy when they lost to Brazil? I feel joy or happiness in football game comes when one team become victorious, it is the result that bring joy (victory) and CR7 is very good at producing result and ability to lead his team in what ever bad situation they are found made us his fan very happy. However, I can't blame you for such a bias analysis it all bud down to you been a former Barca player.
zucceikmst
15
get a dictionary bro... ADMIRE .... emotional feelings come in place before you can admire an object, you can't just respect someone who has no power or control over you. I could understand he loves Messi just as slot of people do, come to think of his calmness, fairness, and always stays out of trouble until the copa America Saga explosion... he can't just pick Ronaldo over Messi that's the simple truth
Admire literally means "regard with respect". You can respect that which you dislike. You can respect that which you hate. You can respect someone based entirely on their ability to undermine you. You can respect someone for just about anything. By saying he respects Ronaldo, he is saying that he truly believes Ronaldo is a top professional, a top player. And he says he admires Messi, because watching him brings him joy. That which you respect does NOT have to being you joy. Respect can be given for any number of things. You say he cannot choose? This is not the only statement he has made declaring that he prefers Messi. He has stated that he appreciates them both, as every true football fan does. Gary Lineker has literally said, "There is no comparison to me. Messi is on a different level to everybody else." I'm not saying that this is a correct opinion, just explaining the difference between admire and respect. To admire, you must respect but to respect you don't necessarily have to admire. That which you respect does not have to bring you joy, it simply has to envoke some form of emotion, you can have respect for that which you hate.