"For me, my three sons, it's exactly the same" - When Mikel Arteta picked his favorite between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had a clear pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. The two legends are widely regarded as two of the best players to grace the beautiful game.

Ronaldo, 39, and Messi, 37, are still going strong despite approaching 40, with the Portuguese recently becoming the first player in history to score 900 career goals for club and country.

Former Gunners midfielder Arteta played eight times across competitions against Ronaldo (winning one, losing six) but never played against Messi. The Spaniard told Sky Sports (via SPORTbible) in April this year that for him and his three sons, Messi is the player:

"It's always been Messi, I can't deny. For me, my three sons, it's exactly the same. It's something that we have been really lucky to have the opportunity for many years to experience, in my opinion, the best player of all time.

"For me, it has to be because, in comparison to how much I was Messi and the others (Cristiano Ronaldo and Pele), the difference is huge."

All eight meetings between Arteta and Ronaldo happened in the 2000s, when the Portuguese was playing with Manchester United. One of these meetings was when Arteta was with Rangers while the others happened while he was at Everton.

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How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared this season?

Cristiano Ronaldo (lef) and Lionel Messi

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had good starts to their current campaigns. While Ronaldo is into his second full season with Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al-Nassr, Messi is playing his first full campaign with MLS side Inter Miami.

Ronaldo has five goals and two assists in six outings across competitions for the Knights of Najd, scoring in all but one game (1-1 league draw at home to Al-Ahli). Most of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's goal contributions this season - three goals and one assist in four games - have come in the Saudi Pro League, where Stefano Pioli's side are fifth in the standings, four behind leaders Al-Hilal (12).

Meanwhile, Messi has had an injury-plagued start to the season. He missed two months of action due to an ankle injury suffered in Argentina's 1-0 extra-time win over Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final.

The Argentine has 16 goals and 12 assists in 18 games across competitions for the Herons, who are eight points clear atop the MLS Eastern Conference after 30 matches.