"I consider him to be the best player in the history of our game" - When Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-teammate pick Lionel Messi as the GOAT
Cristiano Ronaldo's former Juventus teammate Wojciech Szczesny once picked Lionel Messi as the best footballer in history. Barcelona recently signed Szczesny as an emergency replacement after Marc-Andre Ter Stegen sustained a season-ending knee injury during Barcelona's 5-1 win over Villarreal on September 22.
The Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate has divided football fans for over two decades. Widely considered two of the greatest footballers in history, Messi and Ronaldo established an unparalleled duopoly over world football during their primes. The two have won a record 13 Ballons d'Or between them - the most won by any two players in history.
Lionel Messi and Wojciech Szczesny famously locked horns when Argentina played Poland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup on November 30, 2022. Despite La Albiceleste winning 2-0 at Stadium 974, Szczesny was a star performer for saving Lionel Messi's penalty in the 39th minute of the game.
The Polish keeper recounted the save made during the 2022 World Cup in an interview published by Polish Sports Network on December 3, 2024. He said:
“I still don’t know how I saved Messi’s penalty. To answer technically would be too long. But it's a nice feeling because I consider him to be the best player in the history of our game. And to be able to save his penalty at the World Cup is a nice feeling although we lost the game."
Wojciech Szczesny picked Lionel Messi despite sharing the pitch 101 times with Cristiano Ronaldo during their time at Juventus.
The rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo started in earnest when the latter left Manchester United in 2009 and joined Real Madrid. From then on, El Clasicos saw a meteoric rise in popularity with Messi's Barcelona going up against Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
However, Messi takes the statistical edge over his Portuguese counterpart in El Clasicos. The two titans have faced each other in 30 El Clasicos, with Messi winning 14. Cristiano Ronaldo has won eight matches while the remaining eight ended in draws.
When did Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo last face each other?
Since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Europe to join Inter Miami and Al-Nassr respectively, the two icons are rarely seen facing each other.
Ronaldo and Messi last faced each other officially in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League season when the Portuguese icon was at Juventus and the Argentine shone at Barcelona. The group stage game ended with Juventus winning 3-0, and Cristiano Ronaldo finding the back of the net twice.
The last time Messi and Ronaldo came close to facing each other was in a February 2024 club-friendly game between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami. The Saudi Arabian giants beat the Herons 6-0 but neither of the two icons made it to the scoresheet. Ronaldo did not play in the game, while Messi came on as a substitute.
