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Barcelona star Wojciech Szczęsny named Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Italian legend Totti as the best finishers he's faced in his career. The Polish goalkeeper has shared the pitch with both Ronaldo and Totti but only played against Messi.
Szczesny has played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in 101 games between 2018 and 2021 in Italian side Juventus. He has also played against the Portuguese legend four times. The goalkeeper shared the pitch with Francesco Totti in 31 games from 2015 to 2017 in Roma but never played against him.
Meanwhile, Szczesny has faced Lionel Messi in seven games but was never teammates with him. In September 2024, the Polish goalkeeper joined Messi's former club Barcelona after coming out of retirement. The club signed Szczesny after their starting goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury during Barcelona's 5-1 win over Villarreal in LaLiga on September 22.
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In a recent interview with ESPN, Wojciech Szczęsny was asked to name the best finishers he has faced in his career. The goalkeeper said:
"Cristiano and Messi would be the two and I would probably say Totti. I never actually got to play against Francesco [Totti], I only played against him in training. But he was something different in training in terms of finishing and the precision. And the other two..,just the goalscoring record speaks for itself so they have to be there."
Despite nearing the end of their respective careers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been at their best for club and country.
Lionel Messi won his record 46th trophy this month after lifting the Supporters' Shield with Inter Miami on October 2. It came after a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew with La Pulga scoring a brace in the game. The Argentine legend will next focus on winning his first MLS Cup with the Herons, starting with their Round One playoff clash against Atlanta United on October 25.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be a prolific goalscorer for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese legend recorded nine goals and three assists in 11 appearances this season for the Saudi Pro League giants. He also became the first male player to hit 900 career goals during Portugal's 2-1 win against Croatia on September 5.
"He has to be number one" - Wojciech Szczęsny chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
In a recent interview with the press, Wojciech Szczęsny was asked to take his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Pole said (via Barca Universal):
"Ronaldo and Messi are very different, they are both great players and for me, they are the best players in history. For the beauty of football that Messi has shown in the last 20 years, for me he has to be number one."
Szczesny last faced Lionel Messi during Argentina's 2-0 win against Poland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stages. He notably saved a penalty from the Argentine superstar in the game. La Albiceleste went on to win the title in 2022 while Poland bowed out of the World Cup after a 3-1 loss to France in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Szczesny's last game alongside Cristiano Ronaldo was Juventus's 2-2 draw against Udinese Calcio in the 2020-21 season. The Portuguese talisman left the Italian side in 2021 to join his former club Manchester United. He then left England to join Al-Nassr in 2023.
