“Shadow of his former self” - Piers Morgan makes bold claim on Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi debate

Piers Morgan has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as his “GOAT,” claiming that Lionel Messi does not look as brilliant out of his comfort zone.

Both superstars changed clubs at the start of the season, with Messi joining Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Ronaldo returning Manchester United. Outside of Barcelona for the first time in his career, the Argentine superstar has failed to put his best foot forward. He has only scored twice in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season, drawing criticism for his lack of cutting edge.

The United no. 7 has also struggled for form from time to time, but he has been a lot more expressive in front of goal. The 37-year-old has struck 12 times in the Premier League itself, emerging as his team’s leading scorer.

On Twitter, Morgan compared the careers of the two leading goalscorers of this generation. The Englishman claimed that the PSG no. 30 looks a “shadow of his former self” after leaving Barcelona. He said:

“Messi’s a great player but as we’re now seeing, he operated exclusively in a Barca comfort zone for his whole career and without it he now looks a shadow of his former self.”

He added that Ronaldo proved himself for four clubs (Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus), making him the Greatest of All Time (“GOAT”) in his books.

“Ronaldo’s proven himself for 4 clubs in 4 countries. That makes him my 🐐”

The Portuguese skipper has scored 807 goals in his football career so far. He is currently the leading scorer in the history of men’s football.

Ronaldo scores hat-trick three days after Messi’s humiliating Champions League exit

On Wednesday night, PSG fell to a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last-16. The loss saw the Parisians crash from the competition on aggregate (3-2), surrendering their 2-0 lead. Lionel Messi struggled to do anything of note that night, failing to register even a single shot on target.

Three days later, his arch-rival scored a hat-trick to guide Manchester United to a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The 37-year-old’s opening goal, in particular, was spellbinding. From 25 yards out, he dispatched an unstoppable piledriver, leaving Spurs’ keeper Hugo Lloris for dead. Saturday’s treble marked the 59th hat-trick of his career — his second in Man United’s colors.