Lionel Messi has closed the chapter on an iconic Argentina career after his 208th and final appearance for the national team. It's almost poetic that Cristiano Ronaldo's days as a Portugal player may also be up after he recently walked out on Jorge Jesus' squad.
World Cup winner Messi's Argentina tenure concluded under near-opposite circumstances as he was serenaded into retirement against Benin in the early hours of Wednesday morning (BST). The iconic No. 10 will leave his international career behind, viewed by many as the best player in history.
Ronaldo fans will have their own take on that debate, as have plenty of legends down the years. Mirror Football has delved into the records and unearthed how a litany of football greats have voted on the matter over the past two decades.
Legends Back Messi
Gary Lineker has been perhaps Messi's most vocal supporter in the football sphere and told Louis Theroux earlier this year that Ronaldo "doesn't speak to him anymore" due to his long-held admiration of Messi as the all-time best. Pep Guardiola told ESPN in 2016: "Messi is the best, he is definitely the best. He knows how to play, score and make the other players play. He is always there...I think Messi is on another level."
Having run into both players over the course of his career, Liverpool icon Jurgen Klopp made it patently clear which side of the aisle he falls on. "I have one selfie on my smartphone," he said in 2018. "That's with Messi. Cristiano was in the room, as well..."
Diego Maradona said of his compatriot in 2017: "I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly. I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. Football history will remember Messi."
Ronaldo's Backers
Sir Alex Ferguson, who gave Ronaldo his breakthrough, said in 2016: "Messi is a Barcelona player. But Ronaldo could play for Stockport County and score a hat-trick. He has everything." Pele said in 2020: "Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo. I think he's the best, because he's more consistent. But you can't forget about Messi, of course, but he's not a striker."
Zinedine Zidane, who coached Ronaldo to three consecutive Champions League titles, said: "Cristiano is the best. Messi is his rival and it's the rivalry everyone wants to see. But Ronaldo is phenomenal. There are no words to describe him. He is much better than me even though I had a great career. He's the greatest of all time."
Ryan Giggs said in 2017: "Well obviously I played with Cristiano so I'm going to go with Cristiano. But they're both two great players. We're living in an era where you're seeing true legends at their best going head-to-head each season."
The Final Tally
Among the other legends voting for Messi were Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Erling Haaland, Virgil van Dijk, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Luis Suarez, Vincent Kompany, Xavi, Arjen Robben, Steven Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Ousmane Dembele, and Marco van Basten. Ronaldo also received votes from Didier Deschamps, Rio Ferdinand, and Xabi Alonso.
The final score in Mirror Football's tally of 32 legends' votes: Lionel Messi 25-7 Cristiano Ronaldo.
