Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? West Ham star Jarrod Bowen picks favorite between the 2 superstars

West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen has made his pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The England international chose the Argentine legend over the Portuguese superstar.

In a video made by West Ham (via GOAL on X), Bowen was asked to name his favorite players from various nations. He picked Ronaldo Nazario as his favorite Brazilian player, Lionel Messi as his favorite Argentine footballer, and Lamine Yamal as his most liked Spanish international.

When asked about his favorite Portuguese player, Bowen mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo. For his favorite German player, he picked Mesut Ozil and opted for Ruud Gullit as his best Dutch player. The 28-year-old then picked Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney as his favorite French and English players respectively.

In the elimination round, Bowen picked Messi over Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo over Yamal, Gullit over Ozil, and Henry over Rooney. The next round saw Messi pitted against the Portuguese, and Gullit against Henry. Bowen picked Messi and Henry. He ended the challenge by choosing Messi over Henry, ultimately picking the Inter Miami star as his ultimate favorite player.

Watch the video below:

The debate about the best player of all time between Messi and Ronaldo continues to divide fans, players, and pundits alike. Having won a combined 13 Ballons d'Or, they will go down as two of the greatest to play the sport.

Jarrod Bowen, meanwhile, has been a regular for West Ham United this season. In 20 games across competitions, he has contributed six goals and four assists.

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When former France star claimed Lionel Messi is not a leader like Cristiano Ronaldo

Former France international Emmanue Petit once opined that Cristiano Ronaldo was a better leader than Lionel Messi. H emade this claim during the 2018 FIFA World Cup after La Albiceleste succumbed to a 3-0 defeat to Croatia during the group stage.

He said (via AS):

"He's not a leader. He's no Ronaldo in that regard. Messi is one of the best players ever, but he needs to show that mentality. He needs to wake up!

"When things go well with Barcelona, he's a terrific player. We've seen it in the Champions League though, when things don't go well, he can disappear on the pitch. He's not there anymore. He's not running, he's walking. He's not concerned about the ball. Come on."

Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup by eventual winners France. However, the 37-year-old led his team to glory as they won the holy grail four years later.