Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi? When ex-Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger weighed in on the heated 'GOAT' debate

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once shared his take on the age-old debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both icons are unarguably considered two of the greatest footballers of all time.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football for the last two decades. The duo together won 13 Ballons d'Or together, with Messi having eight and Ronaldo five. Over the years, pundits, fans, and legends of the game have shared their take on who's the better footballer of the two.

In a 2020 interview with French site SoFoot, legendary coach Arsene Wenger weighed in on the age-old debate. He said (via The Mirror):

"I often say that Cristiano Ronaldo is the athlete-footballer, and Lionel Messi, the exceptional artist, this is the difference between the two. Afterwards, everyone prefers one or the other. When we like the game, we prefer the artist. The creative makes you discover things that you do not see, that you have not even considered from the stands."

Lionel Messi has been impressive for both club and country since his return to the pitch in September. The Argentine icon was out for two months after suffering an ankle injury during Argentina's 1-0 win over Colombia in extra time in the 2024 Copa America final.

Since his return, Messi led Inter Miami to win the 2024 Supporters' Shield. In the Herons' latest 6-2 win over the New England Revolution, Messi scored a hat-trick after being subbed on (58'). Prior to that, La Pulga scored another hat-trick in Argentina's 6-0 win over Bolivia on October 15, also providing two assists.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded nine goals and three assists in 10 appearances across competitions for Al-Nassr this season. The Portuguese legend also reached an individual milestone after becoming the first male player to score 900 career goals in football history. The iconic goal came in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the Nations League in September.

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Arsene Wenger was reportedly close to signing both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for Arsenal

Ronaldo and Messi - Source: Getty

Arsene Wenger was close to signing both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for Arsenal; albeit at different times. Wenger managed Arsenal between 1996 and 2018 and is unarguably considered their greatest coach of all time.

In a 2021 interview at an event for the Twinning Project, Wenger revealed Arsenal were close to signing Lionel Messi in 2005. The Argentine legend had debuted for Barcelona only a year ago. The Frenchman said (via Standard UK):

“Messi we were interested in, but it was not possible. They [Barcelona] had Fabregas, Messi and Pique in the same generation. We tried to get them. Messi was not possible, Barcelona extended it [his contract]. Pique landed at Manchester United and Cesc joined us."

In the same event, former Arsenal co-owner David Dein added that the Gunners also considered signing Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar was at Sporting CP at that time. Recalling their meeting with a young Ronaldo, he said:

“We discussed a little bit of money and the agent said: ‘Well, let him think about it overnight’. The following day I was discussing with the agent and about six hours later Manchester United blew us out of the water. That was the Cristiano Ronaldo story."

Cristiano Ronaldo eventually joined Manchester United in 2003 before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. The legendary forward then moved to Juventus in 2018 before a second stint at the Old Trafford from 2021 to 2022. He joined Al-Nassr in January 2023.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi went on to play for Barcelona from 2004 to 2021. He joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021 before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.