“I would rather play with Ronaldo than Messi” - Ligue 1 star explains his stance on GOAT debate

Montpellier winger Musa Al-Taamari recently spoke of his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and expressed his wish to play with him over Lionel Messi if given the choice. The Jordanian winger's comments were reported via X handles Al Nassr Zone and The CR7 Timeline.

As per the latter source, Al-Taamari said:

"I would rather play with him [Ronaldo] than Messi."

As per Al Nassr Zone, he also said:

“Because I admire Cristiano’s mentality, I would rather play with him than with Messi.”

Debate over the two legends (Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi) has been a regular occurrence in football. Al-Taamari is the latest player to join a long list of voices to have expressed their opinion over who they prefer between the two players.

Both Messi and Ronaldo are currently plying their trade outside Europe after dominating club football for the better part of the 21st century. Ronaldo plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr while Messi captains Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.

Taking a look at Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's careers

Both superstars burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, with Ronaldo making his name at Manchester United while Messi came through the ranks at Barcelona. Ronaldo, who is two years older than Messi, was the first to win the Ballon d'Or back in 2008.

Over the next decade, the two engaged in regular battles, which only increased in intensity after Ronaldo joined Barca's arch-rivals Real Madrid. They won a total of 13 Ballons d'Or together, conquering Europe and breaking a plethora of records on the way.

Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018, which was followed by a return to Manchester United before joining Al Nassr. Messi joined Paris-Saint Germain in 2021 and then joined Inter Miami in 2023.

As things stand, Ronaldo has 891 goals and 250 assists in 1221 games while Messi has 833 goals and 372 assists in 1059 matches. Both players have won a total of eight Champions League (as per UEFA's website with Messi's first win in 2006, but was not counted as he was not in the squad for the final). They have also broken numerous scoring records, along with winning multiple league titles.

Ronaldo and Messi have also tasted international success with the Portuguese superstar winning the Nations League in 2019 and UEFA Euro 2016. Messi won the 2021 Copa America and followed it up by conquering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.