"You can't dispute that opinion" - When Sir Alex Ferguson gave the perfect answer for Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Former Manchester United manager and footballing legend Sir Alex Ferguson once gave the perfect response to the everlasting Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.

The Argentine and Portuguese legends have defined an entire era of football, having won 10 straight Ballon d'Or titles (five times each) between 2008 and 2017. After Luka Modric broke their dominance in 2018, Messi went on to add another three in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

In 1219 competitive games for club and country, Ronaldo has netted 887 goals and assisted on 250 occasions (0.93 goal contributions per game). Meanwhile, Messi has 832 goals and 367 assists in 1057 appearances across all competitions (1.13 goal contributions per game).

In the Messi vs Ronaldo debate, the endorsers of the Argentine maestro include Gary Lineker, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo Nazario, and many more legends of the game.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese superstar has been given the nod by Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, Kylian Mbappe, and Pele among many others.

Sir Alex has a strong link to Ronaldo, having scouted him at Sporting, brought him over to Manchester United, and molded him into the player he is today. Yet, he had the perfect response to the debate, when asked about it by 1991 world snooker champion John Parrott back in 2015.

"People say who is the best player in the world? And plenty of people quite rightly say Messi - you can't dispute that opinion," Ferguson said.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson went on to pledge his allegiance to his Portuguese protege, adding:

"But Ronaldo could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers… Anyone, and score a hat-trick in a game. I'm not sure Messi could do it."

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"I bet they can't stand each other" - Jamie Carragher voices his opinion on Messi vs Ronaldo debate

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher voiced his opinion on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate, highlighting the impact of their decade-long jostle for greatness on football.

The former defender, fondly known as 'Carra', played against both the legendary forwards. However, he was nearing the end of his career, and the duo were just setting up their path towards becoming two of the best footballers ever seen.

He believed that an uber-competitive rivalry at such a high level of footballing ability would probably never be seen again.

In the final part of a three-part series from Football365 discussing the phenomenal rivalry, Carragher says:

"I think it’s a one-off – both in terms of the competition between two players at that level, but also in how far ahead they were of other people... It’s unbelievable how many Ballons d’Or they’ve both won, considering they were competing with each other. I’ve never seen anyone have the longevity at the top other than those two."

He theorized that both players pushed each other to their fullest extent by delivering consistently, adding:

"They didn’t want to lose out to the other for trophies like the Ballon d’Or – that was always the big rivalry for them every season. They definitely made each other better. But I think they probably can’t appreciate that until they’ve finished. While they’re playing, I bet they can’t stand each other."