Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? When USMNT star Christian Pulisic made his pick

USMNT star Christian Pulisic is clear which side he stands on in the Greatest of All Time debate involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The AC Milan forward named La Pulga as the best player in the world ahead of CR7.

In an interview with GOAL in September 2024, Pulisic was asked to pick some of his best players in a head-to-head elimination quiz. In the semi-final, the American was tasked with picking between Ronaldo and Messi, and he opted for the latter as the best player in the world.

Even when Pulisic was asked to pick between his idol Luis Figo and La Pulga in the final round, he chose the Argentine.

Watch the video below.

The GOAT debate involving La Pulga and Ronaldo dates back to their playing days in LaLiga. The intense rivalry between their respective clubs at the time, Barcelona and Real Madrid, further enhanced the debate.

In terms of individual performance, CR7 scored 450 goals and provided 131 assists in 438 games for Real Madrid. Meanwhile, La Pulga registered 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games for Barcelona.

Overall, Ronaldo has scored 790 club career goals and provided 220 assists in 1,049 appearances. On the other hand, La Pulga has registered 740 goals and 323 assists in 895 club games. [Stats via messivsronaldo.app]

"Ronaldo is a more complete player than Messi” - When Pedro Mendes commented on the GOAT debate

FC Barcelona v Juventus: Group G - UEFA Champions League - Source: Getty

Former Portugal international Pedro Mendes once claimed that CR7 is a more complete player than La Pulga. In an interview with OLBG in May 2024, Mendes shared his thoughts about both players (via GOAL):

"I think we have witnessed the two greatest players of all time in the game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, for years and years they competed at the highest level and have done fantastic things on the pitch, both of them are incredible. The debate always comes down to who you like more as a player, for more Cristiano Ronaldo is the more complete player, he proved he could win LaLiga, the Premier League and Serie A and was the top scorer in all of them - for me that is a huge thing to do.

He added:

“Between him and Messi, Ronaldo wins that battle. Messi of course is a fantastic technical player, but we only saw him playing outside Spain for two years in France towards the end of his career and only now in MLS. So we never knew how we would do in England in the Premier League where it is far more aggressive with more tackles, where Ronaldo did fantastically. In that debate there is a lot of controversy and opinion, but Ronaldo is a more complete player than Messi.”

Ronaldo is currently with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. In 30 games across competitions this season, he has scored 25 goals and provided four assists. Meanwhile, La Pulga plays for Inter Miami in the MLS. Although the new season has barely begun, he has already scored two goals and registered two assists.