"Obviously, out of affection" - Giorgio Chiellini offers interesting opinion on GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini was unable to decide the better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when he was asked to settle the GOAT debate.

However, the centre-half did reveal that he is closer to the Portuguese sensation, having played alongside him at Juventus. The pair played 55 matches together for the Italian giants, managing two joint goal contributions across competitions.

Claiming that both Messi and Ronaldo are some of the best-ever footballers, Chiellini told FIFA's official website (via GOAL):

"Amongst the strongest guys I've played with are definitely Buffon and Ronaldo. Buffon is the best goalkeeper in the history of football, while, depending on your viewpoint, Cristiano is among the top two, three, four or five in the history of the sport. He is definitely in the pantheon of football greats."

He added:

"The toughest ones I've faced are Messi and Ronaldo himself. A lot of people ask me, ' Who is better: Messi or Ronaldo?', a bit like you might with LeBron James and Michael Jordan. I don't see it as a competition, both are at the top."

"Obviously, out of affection, I'm closer to Cristiano, having played with him, but they're both so strong that there can't be a one or two."

So far in his career, Ronaldo has bagged 751 senior club career goals and has won the Ballon d'Or five times. He's lifted the Champions League trophy on five occasions and is a three-time Premier League champion.

Meanwhile, Messi has netted 720 senior club career goals and won the Ballon d'Or on eight occasions. He's a World Cup winner with Argentina and lifted the La Liga trophy 10 times with Barcelona.

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Lionel Messi reaches incredible milestone in fewer games than Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the 500 league goals club after netting twice for Inter Miami in their 5-0 MLS win against Orlando City in March earlier this year.

Although he reached the landmark 13 months after his Portuguese rival, Messi managed to achieve the feat in 67 fewer games. The 36-year-old scored a majority of his goals playing for Barcelona, where he netted 474 goals in La Liga.

He scored another 22 in Ligue 1 during his two-year stay at Paris Saint-Germain. With the former Barcelona star netting most of his goals for the Herons in cup competitions, he's scored just four MLS goals so far.