“I love Cristiano Ronaldo, but they told me I had to say that” - When ex-Barcelona star had to ‘lie’ about Lionel Messi being the world’s best player

Former Barcelona midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng claimed last year that he had to lie about his opinion on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Ghana international revealed that he was required to say he preferred Messi while at Camp Nou despite being a fan of the Portuguese icon.

Boateng was with the Catalan outfit for just six months on loan, which was during the second half of the 2018/19 campaign. However, he made just one appearance with Messi in that time.

Claiming that the 37-year-old was forced to take Messi's name in the GOAT debate to play for Barcelona, Boateng told Rio Ferdinand's VIBE podcast (via talkSPORT):

"I had to say it was Lionel Messi, I lied. It was one of the biggest lies of my life. Normally I always tell the truth, but I lied because it was the only way to wear the Barcelona shirt."

"I'm sorry for the Barca fans, but I always supported Real Madrid as a teenager. I love Cristiano Ronaldo. But they told me I had to say that, otherwise I wouldn't play."

Both Messi and Ronaldo are arguably among the best players to have ever set foot on a football pitch. The Argentina captain has won eight Ballon d'Or trophies, three more than Ronaldo.

Messi has four Champions League trophies and 10 La Liga trophies, along with other honors. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has registered five Champions League trophies, three Premier League and two La Liga titles, among other trophies.

The 37-year-old Inter Miami superstar's biggest international achievement was lifting the 2022 World Cup. Ronaldo has never held this trophy but is a Euro winner with Portugal in 2016.

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Lionel Messi makes retirement comment after matching Cristiano Ronaldo's record

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi admitted that he's playing the final games of his career after Argentina's 6-0 win against Bolivia in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday (October 15).

The Herons star bagged a hat-trick in this tie, matching Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 10 hat-tricks in international football. Speaking about his retirement post-match, Messi said (via talkSPORT):

"I'm excited to be here and feel the affection of the people because I know that these could be the last games."

Messi has enjoyed a stellar career in international football as well, making 189 appearances across competitions for his nation, bagging 112 goals and 60 assists. He's managed to win the Copa America twice, along with the 2022 World Cup.