"Very old style" - When Fabrizio Romano ignored Cristiano Ronaldo and picked Lionel Messi while building his perfect footballer

Barely a year ago, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano built his ultimate perfect footballer and included Lionel Messi, but his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo didn't get the nod.

The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo debate will continue to remain a timeless saga in football history. The longevity of the duo has put them on the list of all-time football greats. Many have had their say on who is better between the Argentine icon and the Portuguese rival.

In an interview with GOAL in 2024, Fabrizio Romano was asked to build his perfect footballer using six specific attributes: best right foot, best left foot, strength, physicality, skills, and intelligence.

The reputable football journalist selected the late Brazilian legend Pele for the right foot and chose late Argentine legend Diego Maradona for the left foot. For physicality, he picked Marco Materazzi, while Garrincha won his vote for speed.

Lionel Messi was Fabrizio's most skillful player, and the football transfer guru named Andres Iniesta the most skillful player.

''Interviever: Right foot?''

''Fabrizio: Right foot, i would say Pele''

''Interviwer: Left foot?''

''Fabrizio: Maradona

''Interviewer: Physicality?''

'Fabrizio: Physicality.... Good question. Probably i will go with Marco Materazzi''

''Interviewer: Speed?''

''Fabrizio: Speed, i will go very old style with Garrincha''

''Interviewer: Skills?

''Fabrizio: Skills, i would go with Leo Messi''

''Interviewer: Intelligence?

''Fabrizio: Iniesta''

''I don't think I need to say something'' - When Kaka picked Lionel Messi as his most skillful player while building his perfect footballer

Exactly a year ago today, Brazil and AC Milan legend Ricardo Kaka left out Cristiano Ronaldo while picking his main competitor, Lionel Messi, as he built his ideal footballer.

Just like Fabrizio Romano, Kaka picked Messi as his most skillful player, smiled thereafter and said:

''I don't think i need to say something''

The other attributes include left foot, right foot, intelligence, strength, and football IQ. The former AC Milan man picked Kevin De Bruyne for intelligence, Kylian Mbappe for speed, and Erling Haaland for strength. Marcelo and Neymar Jr got the nod for his left and right foot, respectively.

Before snubbing Cristiano Ronaldo as the ultimate perfect player, Kaka had chosen Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the ‘GOAT’ debate. Despite sharing the locker room with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, Kaka didn’t allow the teammate bond to influence his choice.

In a Q&A session in 2020, he acknowledged Ronaldo’s footballing abilities but eventually threw his weight behind Messi in the never-ending debate. He said,

“I played with Cristiano, and he’s really amazing. But I’ll go with Messi. He’s a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible. Cristiano is a machine. He’s strong, powerful, fast, and mentally tough. He always wants to win and play.”