“Of all the strikers I have seen, he was the best” - When Lionel Messi named greatest footballer he ever saw live

Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best ever to grace the beautiful game, a goalscorer and goal creator par excellence. However, the 37-year-old once waxed lyrical about Ronaldo Nazario, the legendary Brazilian striker.

Nicknamed 'O Fenomeno' (The Phenomenon), Ronaldo was renowned for his fearsome striking ability although his later years were marred by injury. Nevertheless, the 2002 FIFA World Cup winner got his due acknowledgement from Messi in a TyC interview in 2020 (via SPORTbible):

“Ronaldo Nazario was a phenomenom. Of all the strikers I have seen, for me he was the best. An impressive player from any aspect.”

Having started out in 1993 in his native Brazil, Ronaldo played for top clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan, scoring nearly 400 goals for club and country before retiring in 2011.

Meanwhile, Messi - who played his first senior game for Barcelona in 2003 - has amassed 842 goals for club and country, a tally only bettered by his arch-rival and Ronaldo Nazario's namesake Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal captain - earlier this week - netted his record 900th strike during a UEFA Nations League game with Croatia in Lisbon, which A Selecao won 2-1.

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Journalist Gaston Edul reports about Lionel Messi's potential return to action

Argentina captain Lionel Messi (left)

Lionel Messi has had an injury-plagued first full season with MLS side Inter Miami - whom he had joined last summer on a free transfer after an illustrious near two-decade long spell in Europe.

The 37-year-old has been out of action since he was substituted midway through the second half of Argentina's 1-0 extra-time win over Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final in Miami in July.

Since then, Messi has missed eight games across competitions for the Herons, including four games in their unsuccessful Leagues Cup title defense, where they fell 3-2 to Columbus Crew in the Round of 16.

Tata Martino's side, though, have fared well in MLS in their talismanic captain's absence, leading the Eastern Conference after 27 games. However, they could soon have Messi back in their fold, as per an update by Argentine journalist Gaston Edul.

"Leo Messi is in the final stages of recovery. The idea is for him to play again for Inter Miami in one of the next two games," Edul tweeted earlier this week.

As per Edul's timeline, Messi could feature against Philadelphia at home on September 14 or at Atlanta United four days later.