Messi or Ronaldo: Who is the world’s best player?

Lauding the extraordinary performance of Lionel Messi, England’s legendary former soccer player Gary Lineker termed Inter Miami's forward as the “greatest player of all time”.

Lineker made the remarks when he was asked who — in his opinion — is the best player in the world in recent years — Messi or Al-Nasr forward Cristiano Ronaldo, BBC reported.

He chooses the side of the Argentine footballer.

"Messi is now certainly considered the greatest player of all time. There are people who compare him to Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of performance. But in my opinion, no one can match Messi in the way they delight us with their performances," Lineker said in an interview.

It is pertinent to mention here that Messi moved to the American club in the summer of 2023 as a free agent, signing an agreement until 2025.

During the last season, the captain of the Argentina national team played 14 matches for Inter Miami, in which he scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists.

Football legends Ronaldo and Messi are set to face each other one more time in Saudi Arabia in February next year.

The duo recently faced each other on the football pitch earlier in January this year when Messi's Paris Saint-Germain locked horns with Riyadh All-Stars XI with the former securing a 5-4 victory in the Kingdom.

Many believe that it would mark the final time Messi and Ronaldo shared a pitch as they near the end of their careers on different continents.

Both strikers have dominated international football for more than 10 years with Ronaldo winning his first of five Ballon d'Or awards in 2008 Over the next 14 years, he and Messi have shared the prestigious trophy 12 times.

Fans endlessly debated who was superior, but Messi's record eight Ballon d'Ors and Argentina's 2022 World Cup victory have likely settled that argument.

The upcoming friendly in February will undoubtedly reignite discussions comparing Messi and Ronaldo's legacies.