Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? When Chelsea legend N'Golo Kante made his pick clear

Chelsea legend N'Golo Kante made his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the age-old GOAT debate between the two greats back in 2016. The French midfielder was at Leicester City at the time, alongside Riyad Mahrez, who also picked between the two.

The duo immediately picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo, as Kante agreed with Mahrez in quick succession. Asked about his choice, the French midfielder simply said:

"Messi."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have easily been two of the greatest players the world has ever seen. Their budding rivalry was intensified when the duo played against each other in La Liga, breaking records consistently and across the board.

Now both in their late 30s, the duo have started to see their careers dwindle. In their most recent tournaments on international duty, Messi scored just one goal as Argentina went on to win the Copa America. In Ronaldo's case, Portugal crashed out of the Euros in the quarter-finals, with the forward failing to score even once.

The two players have both left Europe entirely, with Messi playing for Inter Miami in the MLS and Ronaldo playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

The legendary Portuguese striker has already broken records, scoring an impressive 35 league goals, the most in a single Saudi season. His Argentine counterpart has already led Inter Miami to win the Leagues Cup, and they look set for another trophy this season.

---

Brazilian legend picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Back in 2020, Brazil icon Kaka also picked Messi over Ronaldo in the debate. Notably, the former AC Milan playmaker shared the pitch and dressing room with Ronaldo at Real Madrid but the Portuguese forward still does not match up to Messi.

Kaka was speaking on FIFA's Instagram for a Q&A session when he was asked about his preferred player. The Selecao legend said (via One Football):

"I played with Cristiano and he's really amazing but I'll go with Messi. He's a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible."

Regarding his former teammate, he added:

"Cristiano is a machine. It's not just the way he's strong, powerful and fast; he's strong mentally. He always wants to win and play. To be the best. For me, that's the most incredible thing he has. In the history of sport, they [Messi and Cristiano] are definitely in the top five. We are very lucky to have been able to see both of them."

Notably, Lionel Messi has picked up an unprecedented eight Ballon d'Or awards, while Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to win five. It is worth noting that prior to the duo, no one won the award more than thrice, with Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten winning the award three times each.