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Back in 2021, Virgil van Dijk made his pick in the eternal Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate. The Liverpool defender has played against both in his career, and one left a deeper impression than the other.
Messi and Ronaldo have both abandoned Europe, continuing their careers on other continents. Messi is playing in the MLS, while his Portuguese counterpart left to play in Saudi Arabia.
Van Dijk could still face either of them in the upcoming 2026 World Cup, as they remain available for their respective countries. However, he has already made his pick about who his tougher opponent was (via Mirror):
"I would say Lionel Messi, he’s still the best football player in the world. Him and Cristiano Ronaldo have been doing unreal numbers in the last decades and it’s incredible what they have achieved. But in this case I will choose Messi, we had a tough night at Barcelona [in 2019]."
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The night in question is from the 2018–19 Champions League semi-finals, when Messi bagged two at the Camp Nou in a 3-0 victory for Barca. Liverpool rallied past Barcelona in the second leg in their historic comeback to reach the final, but clearly, Messi’s brilliance stayed with Van Dijk.
Cristiano Ronaldo claims he is "the most complete player ever" ahead of Lionel Messi, others
Cristiano Ronaldo recently called himself “the most complete player ever” in a bid to end the debate. The 40-year-old legendary striker revealed his hot take in an El Chiringuito interview where he stood firm on his position that statistics are the relevant thing.
He has often been compared to Lionel Messi over the years. However, he insisted (via BeinSports):
Who’s the best goal scorer in history? It's about numbers. Full stop. I'm talking about numbers. I believe I'm the most complete player ever. In my opinion, it's me. I excel in every aspect: heading, free kicks, left foot, right foot. I'm fast, I'm strong."
Ronaldo has passed the 900-career goals barrier, and is the current holder of the most goals in men's football. Since signing for Al-Nassr in January 2023, he captained the club to victory in the Arab Club Champions Cup.
By contrast, Messi already has more than 850 goals and could be hunting down Ronaldo’s numbers. The Argentine legend joined Inter Miami, where he has won the Leagues Cup and the Supporters' Shield.
