“And then the answer is no” - Arjen Robben highlights reason behind choosing his GOAT in debate dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben has pointed out why he picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the everlasting GOAT debate. The duo are popularly regarded as two of the best to have set foot on a football pitch and have accomplished a fair bit.

Mess is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who has four Champions League and 10 La Liga titles to his name, among other honors. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is a five-time Champions League winner but has three fewer Ballon d'Or awards than his Argentine rival.

Addressing the debate on the TOUZANI YouTube channel, Robben said (via Mirror):

"You mentioned a few really big names who are very good at it. When I talk about it with the guys. The best ever. The best. Truly the absolute absolute absolute best ever, I always ask 'does he use tricks?'

"And then the answer is no. Messi of course, he doesn't have tricks up his sleeve. He just does everything quickly. He has control, speed, agility."

Messi is a decorated footballer who enjoyed the best spell of his professional career at Barcelona. For the Catalan side, he made 778 appearances across competitions, bagging 672 goals and 303 assists.

The 37-year-old then decided to move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021 after his contract ran out at Camp Nou. Similarly, Messi completed a free transfer to Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, where he currently plays his football.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo plies his trade for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, a team he joined in January 2023.

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Former Italy and Juventus star names footballer who was scarier to face than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Italy central defender Leonardo Bonucci believes there was a footballer who was scarier to face than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The retired 37-year-old faced both stars in the Champions League while even sharing the dressing room with the latter at Juventus.

However, he said that it was Colombian striker Duvan Zapata who gave him nightmares nights before their teams met in Serie A. Speaking to Sky Italia, Bonucci said (via Express):

"My nightmare, who didn't make me sleep at night, was Zapata. God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn't sleep at night."

Zapata, 33, currently plays for Torino and joined the club permanently this summer from Atalanta for a reported fee of €8.6 million. For his previous team, the striker made 191 appearances across competitions, bagging 82 goals and 43 assists.