Ex-Barcelona striker chooses Fernando Torres over Cristiano Ronaldo, names Messi as 'the best’

Former Barcelona star David Villa has picked ex-Spain teammate Fernando Torres over Cristiano Ronaldo while crowning Lionel Messi the GOAT of football. It isn't surprising to see that Villa picked the former Chelsea man over Ronaldo, given the pair shared the pitch 55 times across competitions, bagging six joint goal contributions.

After deciding to eliminate Ronaldo as the 42-year-old continued picking one player between two, he was eventually left with deciding between Messi and Torres. Declaring the former of the duo as the best ever, he said in this segment with GOAL:

"He is the best."

When questioned if Torres would be angry with Villa for placing him below the Argentina captain, the former attacker replied:

"No."

Messi has enjoyed an incredible career, having won the Ballon d'Or trophy on eight occasions. He's a two-time Copa America winner with his country and also led them to World Cup success in 2022 in Qatar.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward also spent time with Villa at Barcelona. Together, the pair played 103 matches across competitions, bagging 26 joint goal contributions.

The 37-year-old made 778 appearances across competitions for the Catalan club, bagging 672 goals and 303 assists. While at Camp Nou, he won the La Liga title on 10 occasions and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy thrice.

Currently, the Argentine plays in the MLS for Inter Miami, where he is under contract till December 2025. Similarly, Ronaldo also exited Europe in January 2023 after deciding to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he now plies his trade.

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When Kylian Mbappe revealed that he told himself he's better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi

Real Madrid's blockbuster signing of the summer, Kylian Mbappe, once revealed that he believed himself to be better than superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The 2018 World Cup winner made these comments during an interview with RMC Sport back in 2021. Speaking about this at the time, Mbappe said (via SPORTbible):

"They are better players than me, they have done a billion more things than me. But in my head, I always tell myself that I'm the best because that way you don't give yourself limits and you try to give your best."

Before making his move to Real Madrid, Mbappe made 308 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 256 goals and assisting 108 times. He won the Ligue 1 title six times with the club but never got his hands on the UEFA Champions League.