"I had a very interesting conversation" - Piers Morgan reveals why Cristiano Ronaldo remains his favorite ahead of Lionel Messi

Piers Morgan has praised Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the longevity of their careers but believes that the latter has challenged himself more.

The English journalist has been praising the Portuguese ace for a long time now and has admitted that he prefers him over the Argentine. Morgan also recently interviewed the former Manchester United man, which eventually led to the club mutually terminating the forward's contract.

Speaking on talkSPORT on Wednesday, Morgan was adamant that the Argentina captain is not ahead of Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. He believes the two are among the top three footballers ever but hands the title to the Portuguese forward.

He said:

"Messi and Ronaldo have had 18 or 19 years at the very top of their game, and that's testament to their extraordinary dedication, their remarkable physical fitness and their rivalry, which has without any question has driven the other to ever greater heights."

He added:

"The debate is, though, is he the greatest? On that I will always put up a very passionate and quite forensic defence of Cristiano Ronaldo. I think he deserves that title. One World Cup does not a GOAT make. Lionel Messi hasn't even won it yet!"

Continuing to talk about the difference, Morgan added that Messi was at Barcelona for the majority of his career. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has won the title in three different countries.

"When you look at the stats between Ronaldo and Messi, it's important to remember Ronaldo is two years' older. It's also important to remember that, unlike Messi who stayed in his Barcelona comfort blanket for 17 years, Ronaldo has won league titles in four different countries, including the three most competitive leagues in the world."

He added:

"He's taken himself out of comfort zones – he [Cristiano Ronaldo] could have stayed at Real Madrid for most of his career if he wanted to, but he's deliberately taken himself into new leagues and new challenges. Whereas Messi, he's only ever done it for Barcelona, and there all around him [Lionel Messi] the entire time were the world's greatest players. Ronaldo has often had to lead that line pretty much on his own."

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The contrasting years for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo has been having a tough time on the pitch this year as he has not managed to start regularly for Manchester United. He was also benched in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages, as Fernando Santos believed other options were better suited for the team.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has led Argentina into the final of the FIFA World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain man is currently the joint-top scorer (5 goals) and also has the most assists (3) in the tournament.