It seems to be the age old question in football; who is better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
Depending who you speak to, the likelihood is you’ll get a different reason from each person to justify their choice, which is an entirely subjective matter of course.
Messi’s 700th career goal, a wonderful Panenka penalty scored against Atletico Madrid, came on Tuesday night, the same evening as Ronaldo fired in a bullet for his 728th.
It ignited the usual debate on social media with there very definitely being a ‘pro Messi’ and ‘pro Ronaldo’ camp, but Gary Lineker attempted to silence both sides and bridge the gap between the two.
Message to Ronaldo fans: When I tweet about the brilliance of Messi, it doesn’t mean I don’t admire Ronaldo. Message to Messi fans: When I tweet about Ronaldo, it doesn’t mean I don’t admire Messi. It’s possible to love both of these super human footballers. Enjoy them both. ??
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 30, 2020
As an ex-player himself, Lineker is qualified to speak authoritatively on the subject and also have his own personal view.
He’s never hidden his admiration for either player but has a foot firmly in the Messi camp.
Having played against Diego Maradona, the player Messi has also had to suffer comparisons with throughout his career, and for Barcelona, it’s easy to see why Lineker might lean towards the Argentinian.
Both Messi and Ronaldo’s goals from Tuesday night can be seen below, and as Lineker noted, enjoy them both.
Career goal 7?0?0? for Lionel Messi ?
A cheeky Panenka penalty to do it ?
?? Barca lead Atletico 2-1 pic.twitter.com/sOfWayxTs6
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) June 30, 2020
???????????? ??? from Cristiano Ronaldo ?
His 24th goal of the season doubles Juve’s lead ?#GenoaJuventus 0-2 pic.twitter.com/w28gojrIwS
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) June 30, 2020