47-year-old Real Madrid legend picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Real Madrid midfielder Guti chose Argentine superstar Lionel Messi over Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. During an interview with social media celebrity Nuni Joya, the former Spanish midfielder's was asked to give his verdict on the football GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate.

Responding to the question, Guti took some time and decided to take former Barcelona star Lionel Messi's name. Later, he chose Fernando Morientes over Raul and Iker Casillas over Gianluigi Buffon. Continuing the game, the Real Madrid legend then backed Roberto Carlos over Marcelo and Ronaldinho over French icon Zinedine Zidane.

Interestingly, Guti was also asked to choose between Manchester City's Erling Haaland, and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe. Without any delay, the former Los Blancos midfielder opted for the Frenchman. Additionally, he also backed Vinicius Jr. over Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal.

Guti was the academy product of Real Madrid and he started playing for the first team in 1996. The former Spanish midfielder made 542 appearances for the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, bagging 77 goals and 94 assists.

The Spaniard left Los Blancos in 2010 and joined Turkish side Besiktas before eventually hanging his boots in 2012. He won three UEFA Champions League, five La Liga, four Spanish Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cup titles with Real Madrid.

---

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk once chose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the football GOAT debate. The two football stars have been on the pinnacle of football for almost two decades and it's also tough to chose a clear favourite.

Nevertheless, in 2021, the Dutchman backed Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he also heaped praise on the Portuguese forward. He stated (via the Mirror):

"I would say Lionel Messi, he's still the best football player in the world. Him and Cristiano (Ronaldo) have been doing unreal numbers in the last decades and it's incredible what they have achieved. But in this case I will choose Messi, we had a tough night in Barcelona (in 2019)."

He also talked about the first leg semifinal fixture of 2019 UEFA Champions League, where Lionel Messi scored a memorable free-kick during Barcelona's 3-0 win over Liverpool at Camp Nou. In 2019, the Argentine superstar won his sixth Ballon d'Or title while Virgil van Dijk was second on the same list.