GOAT Debate: Arsenal midfielder gives his verdict on the long-standing debate surrounding Ronaldo and Messi

What's the story?

Switzerland and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has given his thoughts on the decade-long debate involving who the better player is between Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

In case you didn't know...

Xhaka met Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals on Wednesday night in a game that saw Portugal establish a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at the Estadio do Dragao.

The Juventus ace netted the 53rd hat-trick of his career to single-handedly fire his national team to the first-ever Nations League final, where they will face the Netherlands, who beat England 3-1 in the other semi-final last night.

After the game, the midfielder controversially claimed that there was nothing the Switzerland team could have done to stop the hat-trick, telling his fans on social media,

"Really proud of our performance and the progress we are making. Sometimes there is not much you can do when Ronaldo scores such a special hat-trick."

The heart of the matter

Speaking about Ronaldo after the game, Xhaka said,

"It's unbelievable what a player he is. It's not for nothing that he's one of the best players in the world. He's special because he knows always where you have to go and to be."

When asked if he thinks the Portuguese talisman is the best player in the world, he replied by suggesting that Messi and Ronaldo are on the same level when it comes to football.

"One of them. In my opinion, you have two of them. They are not in this world. Those two are clear of the rest. If you play at 34 on this level you deserve a lot of respect."

What's next?

Portugal will face the Netherlands in the Nations League final scheduled to take place on June 9.