“Better than Ronaldo and Messi” – Manchester United fans salute 29-year-old star as he scores free-kick goal on international duty

Manchester United fans have deemed Marcel Sabitzer's free-kick for Austria better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's efforts on international duty.

Sabitzer, 29, put in a Man of the match performance as Ralf Rangnick's Austria beat Azerbaijan 4-1 in their Group F UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. The Red Devils midfielder (on loan from Bayern Munich) scored a brace, including a superb free-kick.

The Austrian captain fiercely struck a 50th-minute free-kick to add to his 27th-minute opener. He stole the show for Das Team as they romped to victory at the Raiffeisen Arena.

Sabitzer is thriving at Manchester United, with the Red Devils handing him more first-team opportunities than he had at Bayern. He has made nine appearances across competitions, scoring once.

He followed in the footsteps of Ronaldo and Messi, who also bagged free-kicks on international duty. Selecao captain Ronaldo smashed in a brilliant effort in a 4-0 win with Portugal over Liechtenstein. He added a brace to his incredible record with the Selecao. Meanwhile, Argentina captain Messi bagged his 800th international goal with a fabulous free-kick against Panama in a 2-0 friendly win.

However, fans don't think their exploits compare to Sabitzer's, with one tweeting in response to the Austrian's strike:

"Sabitzer with a banger free-kick. Better than Ronaldo and Messi."

Here's how the rest of Twitter reacted to Sabitzer's free kick:

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Ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's interesting take on Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry

The legendary Manchester United boss (rifht) gave an intriguing take.

Sir Alex Ferguson weighed in on the debate over which of the iconic duo is the greatest player ever. The Scot coached Ronaldo at Manchester United for six seasons, with the Portuguese legend scoring 118 goals and providing 63 assists under Ferguson.

The legendary striker left the Red Devils for Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record £80 million. However, Ferguson has always held a close relationship with his former No.7.

He was asked about the debate between the two legends in 2015. Ferguson responded by admitting that although the Argentine may be a greater player, his rival can adapt to any team (via the Mirror):

"People say who is the best player in the world? And plenty of people quite rightly say Messi - you can't dispute that opinion."

Ferguson continued:

"But Ronaldo could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers. … anyone, and score a hat-trick in a game. I'm not sure Messi could do it. Ronaldo's got two feet, he's quick, great in the air, he's brave - Messi's brave, of course. I think (he's) a Barcelona player."

Both players are widely regarded as the greatest in history, and people's opinions remain divided. Both continue to turn back the years with inspired performances for club and country.

They will both be in action again for their respective national team. Argentina face Cucarao in a friendly on Tuesday (March 28) while Portugal face Luxembourg in another Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday (March 26).