Back in 2023, Zlatan Ibrahimovic weighed in on football’s most popular debate: choosing between Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. While he termed it to be a “difficult choice”, he sided with his former Barcelona teammate, citing Messi’s natural talent as the deciding factor.
The pair collaborated during Barcelona’s 2009-10 season, when the great Argentine playmaker became an international icon. Lionel Messi has gone on to become the Ballon d’Or winner a record eight times. He has also led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup and two Copa America trophies.
In his Corriere dello Sport interview, the ex-Swedish striker detailed why he opted for Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo (via The Sun):
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, built his legend at Manchester United and Real Madrid. The 40-year-old Portuguese forward has five Ballon d’Or titles on his CV, among many records, such as becoming the all-time Champions League top scorer.
Ibrahimovic also admitted that he picked Ronaldo Nazario over others like Diego Maradona:
Ronaldo Nazario has since retired from the sport, entering into club ownership. He is currently the majority owner and president of La Liga outfit Real Valladolid.
Former Chelsea and France winger Florent Malouda has cautioned against comparing Barca prodigy Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Yamal has been at the heart of Barca’s rise under manager Hansi Flick, playing a huge part in their dominance of La Liga.
His performances went unnoticed, especially with the Spain national team, with whom he won Euro 2024. He also led Barca to the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana this season. With his contribution of 15 goals and 24 assists in 51 games, it is no surprise at all that he has been likened to Messi and Ronaldo.
Speaking in an interview with Racing Tipster, Malouda suggested it was essential to let Yamal build his own personality instead. He insisted (via GOAL):
In spite of missing out on winning the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona this season, Lamine Yamal has a big chance of lifting the La Liga title. An El Clasico against Real Madrid on May 11 sits in the way of clinching the title.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha’s play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian’s love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.
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