"He's a genius" - When Kaka made his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former AC Milan midfielder Kaka was asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2020. Messi and Ronaldo dominated the game for almost two decades and choosing one over another has always been a tough task for the football world.

However, Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate backed Argentine superstar Messi as his choice in the GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate. Kaka was interacting with his fans on an Instagram Live Q&A for FIFA's channel (in 2020) while he was asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo.

The former Brazilian midfielder said (via BeINSports):

"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."

Kaka also lauded Ronaldo for his strong mentality and billed him as a 'machine'. He added further:

"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."

The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner concluded his opinion on the GOAT debate by stating that Messi and Ronaldo are among the top five football players of all time. He concluded:

"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."

Kaka played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2013 in 99 games and jointly contributed to 21 goals. He later joined AC Milan for the second time. Both Ronaldo and Kaka had joined Los Blancos in 2009.

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When La Liga president Javier Tebas backed Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

La Liga president Javier Tebas was asked in 2024 to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In response, the La Liga chief backed the Argentine playmaker over the Real Madrid legend.

Javier Tebas said during an interview with Juan Jose-Buscalia from DSports (via Pulse Sports):

"Lionel and Cristiano are the best two players in history, with Messi as first. Players are very important but not essential for a competition. Trying to repeat it for so long, because Messi and Cristiano have been at the highest level since they were 18, it will never happen again, the stars have aligned."

Lionel Messi joined Barcelona from Newell's Old Boys in 2000 and left the side after becoming the all-time highest goalscorer in La Liga with 474 goals. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo is the second-highest goal-scorer in Spanish top-tier football with 311 goals in 292 matches.