"A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years" - When Marco van Basten picked between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo 

Dutch football legend Marco van Basten had once shared his views on Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate. The two football icons have dominated the football world for nearly, winning several personal accolades.

In June 2022, AC Milan icon Marco van Basten was asked to provide his opinion on the GOAT debate during an interview with Corriere dello Sport. The Dutch forward lauded Messi and stated that he's one of a kind.

Van Basten said:

"Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi know nothing about football, or they are saying it in bad faith. Messi is one of a kind, Impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years. As a kid, he fell into the football genius pot."

Messi later guided Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami. Meanwhile, Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr from Manchester United after mutually terminating his contract.

Marco van Basten later named his three all-time greatest football players. He said (via MARCA):

"Pele, (Diego) Maradona and (Johan) Cruyff are for me the three greatest players in history. As a kid I wanted to be like Cruyff. He was my friend. I miss him Pele and Maradona were also incredible."

He further added:

"Messi is also a great player, but Maradona always had more personality in a team. Messi is not the one who puts himself at the front to go to war. I'm not forgetting Cristiano Ronaldo, (Michel) Platini or (Zinedine Zidane)."

Van Basten played for AC Milan and Ajax in his professional career, winning three Ballon d'Or awards. He eventually retired at the age of 28 in 1995 due to a recurring ankle injury.

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Former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah once chose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah had once backed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. As per Barca Worldwide on X (formerly Twitter) the Egyptian was asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo in March 2024.

In response, Salah chose Lionel Messi, saying:

"Messi, it's not a debate anymore."

Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool in July 2017 from Serie A side Roma. The Egyptian forward has made 375 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, bagging 231 goals and 105 assists across all competitions.

Salah is also the top scorer in the Premier League this season with 17 goals in 18 appearances.