"He plays the game with passion" – Manchester United legend picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as player he likes to watch the most

Manchester United legend David Beckham has named Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi over his ex-teammate and Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo as the player he most likes to watch.

Beckham, who is the co-owner of Inter Miami, passed on his iconic number 7 jersey to the Portuguese after leaving Old Trafford to join Real Madrid in 2003. He has often waxed lyrical about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but he has now asserted that he admires Messi the most.

During a recent interaction with ESPN Argentina, the Englishman was asked who he enjoys watching the most between the aforementioned superstars. He replied (h/t GOAL):

"It has to be Messi. I love Leo for many different reasons. I love him because he's a great father. I love him because he's a great personality, a character. He's a great person. But I think what everybody loves about him is the way he plays the game."

Hailing the Argentine's 2022 FIFA World Cup outing, Beckham added:

"He plays the game with passion. He plays the game just free the way he plays. And I think this past World Cup again. I think the way he played for his team, for his country and to win that World Cup was an incredible moment for him. And I love watching players like him."

Messi and Ronaldo are set to face off one last time in a friendly match in February next year. Inter Miami will lock horns with Al-Nassr at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh in a Riyadh Season Cup encounter.

Alexis Sanchez names Brazilian superstar over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as best player

Inter Milan star Alexis Sanchez has picked ex-Real Madrid and Barcelona forward Ronaldo Nazario as the best footballer of all time over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He elaborated (h/t MD Futbol):

"Ronaldo, the phenomenon for me, is the world number one. I have played with many strong players, seen Messi and Cristiano up close, but he is something else. When he made that fake and went at a mile an hour, it was incredible, a beautiful thing to see in football."

During his 18-year-long career between 1993 and 2011, Ronaldo scored 298 goals in 454 club outings across all competitions. He also managed to register 76 assists in the aforesaid number of club games.

A two-time Ballon d'Or winner, the ex-AC Milan and Inter Milan striker represented Brazil 99 times. He recorded 62 goals and 32 assists for his national team, helping them lift two FIFA World Cup trophies with 15 goals and five assists in 19 matches.