Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? When David Villa picked between the two GOATs

Barcelona legend David Villa recently made his choice in the age old debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two legendary forwards are often considered among the greatest footballers of all time.

Since Messi and Ronaldo's arrival in the beautiful game, fans and pundits have discussed and debated on who's the better player. Many prefer Messi for his technical brilliance and exceptional raw talent. Others lean towards Ronaldo over his well-known work ethic and lethal goal-scoring abilities.

The two superstars have won 13 Ballons d'Or together with Messi having eight and Ronaldo five. Their rivalry peaked between 2009 and 2018 when they plied their trades with Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. The duo have faced each other in 36 games for club and country, with the Portuguese talisman winning 11, losing 16 and drawing nine times against his archrival.

In an interview with GOAL, Barcelona and Spain legend David Villa was posed the age old question of choosing between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Unsurprisingly, Villa chose the Argentine superstar, having shared the pitch with him in 102 games with 26 joint-goal participations across competitions for Barcelona.

The conversation went in a this-or-that scenario:

Q: Messi or Ronaldo

Villa: Messi.

While Lionel Messi is popularly known for being a part of the lethal MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) trio, he also formed one of the best attacking trios in football with David Villa. Messi, David Villa, and Pedro formed the exceptional Blaugrana attack during Pep Guardiola's era (2008-2012) at Camp Nou.

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When Xavi claimed Lionel Messi's rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo made him a better player

Xavi and Messi (L to R) - Source: Getty

In an appearance on the BBC documentary, Messi: The Enigma, Barcelona legend and former coach Xavi claimed competiting with Cristiano Ronaldo made Lionel Messi a better player.

He said (via GOAL):

“Cristiano gave him an extra push to become a better player. Cristiano and Leo probably won't admit it. I am convinced they used to keep an eye on each other. If you're competitive, you want to be the best."

Xavi has shared the pitch with Messi in 399 games, recording 42 joint goal participations. He was one of the players who saw the growing rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in LaLiga in the early 2010s. Their rivarly led to a meteoric rise in the popularity of El Clasicos, as the two superstars met atleast twice each season.

Despite being on the wrong side of their thirties, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been in exceptional form for their club and country. Messi led Inter Miami to the 2024 Supporters' Shield last year and was also named MLS MVP.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was the highest goalscorer (35 goals) in the Saudi Pro League last season and will be keen leading Al-Nassr to a trophy this season.