"My wife watches football only because of Messi" - Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Alcaraz's quotes on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo resurface 

The GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has always been the most heated discussion among football followers. The 'Big 3' of tennis - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal - have also revealed their takes on the same.

Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer on July 21. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo completed six months in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr.

Both players have attained unparalleled success in their careers over the last 15 years. Thus, their success has always fueled a heated argument over which of the two is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).

Just like football, a similar battle has also been present in the sport of tennis for years. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have massively dominated men's tennis in the last couple of decades.

However, with Djokovic still fit and Nadal awaiting a potential return in 2024, the discussion still goes on. Nevertheless, the Big 3 have disclosed their football GOAT.

In a recent video shared on social media by AlbicelesteTalk, the King of Clay has stated that despite being a Real Madrid fan, his choice is Lionel Messi.

"Messi is better, but I’m a Real Madrid fan.” Rafael Nadal answered the fan, who asked him to choose between Messi and Ronaldo.

Sharing similar thoughts, the Serbian Wizard, Novak Djokovic, also rested his argument in favor of the World Cup winner. In quotes published by Tennis Major, the record 23-Grand Slam winner said that Messi has left an extraordinary mark in football.

“It was my first time meeting them in person; they are great champions, it was a pleasure and an honor to meet them, especially Messi, a player who left an extraordinary mark in the history of football,” said Novak Djokovic.

The Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer also once revealed that his wife, Mirka, only watches football for the former Barcelona star.

"My wife doesn’t like football, but she watches it just for Messi,” Federer said according to Barca Worldwide.

Aligning his opinion with the Big 3, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz has also been a huge fan of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Before Roland Garros, the 20-year-old finally got to meet Messi at the Laureus World Sports Awards. It was a fanboy moment for the two-time Grand Slam winner.

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Lionel Messi breaks Cristiano Ronaldo's record at Inter Miami unveiling

Since winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi has seen a much greater rise in his popularity. As a result, the Argentine successfully managed to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo‘s record of views during his unveiling.

Cristiano Ronaldo was presented at MrSool Park in Riyadh after joining Al-Nassr, and he attracted more than three billion viewers worldwide. However, the former Barcelona star's presentation at Inter Miami broke the Portuguese attacker's record by garnering 3.5 billion views.

Lionel Messi's unveiling was already a hit in the United States. His fans were overjoyed after he helped the MLS side break their losing run with an injury-time goal in their 2-1 win over Cruz Azul.