“He makes all his teammates better” - When USMNT star Christian Pulisic chose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo when asked to choose between the two footballing greats.

Pulisic, 25, who currently plays for Italian giants AC Milan, admitted to having watched Messi a fair bit while growing up. Citing it as one of the reasons for picking the Argentina ace over Ronaldo, he told ESPN in 2017:

"It's tough to say for me. Messi was the one I watched all the time, my favourite player growing up. He makes all his teammates better. I think just the way he carries himself on the field."

"Nothing against Ronaldo. I've seen it first-hand, and he's an unbelievable player. It's not an easy one, but I would say Messi because when I grew up, he was my favorite," he added.

Messi will go down as one of the best-ever players to grace the football pitch. He's won the Ballon d'Or trophy a record eight times and is also a three-time UEFA Champions League and 10-time La Liga winner.

In 2022, the Barcelona legend also led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, bagging seven goals and three assists in the tournament. He was awarded the Golden Ball, an honor given to the best player in the competition.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner and has got his hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy on five occasions. The Al-Nassr striker has also won the Premier League thrice while winning the Serie A and La Liga titles twice each.

Pulisic has come up against Ronaldo six times in his career while representing Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. The Portuguese superstar never ended up on the losing side when facing the USA international while playing for Real Madrid and Manchester United.

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How are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo performing for their respective clubs?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (via Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo has started the new season in fine form for Al-Nassr. The former Manchester United attacker has scored 18 goals and assisted nine in 18 appearances across competitions this season.

He has been largely successful since joining the Riyadh-based side in January 2023. Overall, Ronaldo has completed 37 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club, bagging 32 goals and 11 assists.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi opted to join MLS outfit Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Inter Miami are currently out of competitive action after failing to make it to the MLS playoffs.

The Argentina captain has scored 11 goals and assisted five more in 14 appearances across competitions for his new employers.