“For me, there is some distance between him and Cristiano” - Di Maria on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate ahead of retirement

Angel Di Maria has put his weight behind now-former Argentina teammate Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate against Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo. He believes that with Messi winning three more Ballons d'Or than Ronaldo, puts him ahead of the latter in being the world's best.

Speaking to the media on Sunday after Argentina's Copa America 2024 final win over Colombia, Di Maria talked about the GOAT debate between the two superstars of world football. He said (via FC Barcelona Noticias):

“In the end, the best is the one who has more Ballons d’Or, and Messi has eight. For me, therefore there is some distance between him and Cristiano.”

Lionel Messi added a fourth consecutive international trophy to his collection on Sunday night after Argentina won the Copa America. Lautaro Martinez scored the game's only goal in extra time to give his side a 1-0 victory over Colombia.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo could not add to his two international trophies this summer after France eliminated Portugal from Euro 2024 in the quarterfinals.

When Angel Di Maria talked about playing with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Angel Di Maria opened up about sharing the dressing room with both greats of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Argentine had backed his teammate as the best ever but acknowledged that the Portuguese was among the two best of his generation.

In an interview with TyC Sports in 2020, Di Maria had said:

"It was a dream to have the possibility to play with [Wayne] Rooney, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Leo [Messi]. They were players that I used on the PlayStation and I would never have imagined I'd get to play with them. I used to watch them and then to have the opportunity to play with them was really nice."

He added:

"Leo is the best of the four, Cristiano is a monster and Neymar is simply a joy for football. He's Brazilian and when he plays all he does is have fun. Ibrahimovic is crazy, a total character. On the pitch, he might seem like a bad guy but he is awesome, a really good guy. I got along with him very well when he was here. Rooney is a quiet guy. I never thought he would be as strong as he is. With all the great players I have played with, it's hard to choose. But if I had to pick one, it would be Leo.”

Angel Di Maria has called time on his international career and the Copa America final was his last game. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are yet to disclose their future with their respective international sides. Some reports suggest they could end up playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.