"It's not a debate anymore" - When Liverpool star Mohamed Salah picked between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah once opted for Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate. The two superstars of modern football have divided opinion among fans as well as their peers throughout their esteemed careers.

CR7 and La Pulga are as different as chalk and cheese; their zeal for excellence sets them apart from the rest of the world. The Portuguese has scored 934 goals from 1275 games in his career, and is the only player to have crossed the 900-goal mark.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the league in England, Spain and Italy, and has found success with the national team as well. The 40-year-old has scored 136 goals for Portugal and is the record goalscorer in men's international football.

However, speaking in March last year, as cited by Barca Worldwide (via msn.com), Salah labeled Lionel Messi as the GOAT and insisted that it wasn't a debate anymore.

“Messi, It’s not a Debate anymore,” said Salah.

The Argentinean is the most decorated player in the history of the beautiful game, with a record 46 trophies to his name. La Pulga has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, and the European Golden Shoe a record six times. The 37-year-old has also found tremendous success with La Albiceleste, winning two Copa America, one Finalissima, and the coveted FIFA World Cup.

How have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared in El Clasico?

Lionel Messi's rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo hit a higher gear when the Portuguese superstar moved to Real Madrid in 2009 from Manchester United. CR7 spent nine seasons with Los Blancos where he regularly came up against the Argentinean, who played for Barcelona, in the El Clasico.

The Portuguese has 30 El Clasico appearances to his name, but has managed just eight wins in them. Cristiano Ronaldo has registered 18 goals and one assist against Barcelona as a Real Madrid player.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is the undisputed king of El Clasico. The Argentinean has registered 26 goals against Los Blancos, the most by a player in the highly anticipated tie.

La Pulga has also set up 14 more, which means that he has 40 goal contributions in 45 games against Real Madrid. That also includes two hattricks, and two free kicks. Los Blancos, as such, would have heaved a sigh of relief when the player ultimately left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee