The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is still a topic, even after both soccer superstars have left the European stage. Despite having battled for more than a decade for the best trophies and individual awards, there is still not a definite winner in the GOAT debate.
Many former players and coaches also have a preference between the two, with most choosing the one they have the most affiliation with. But now, a former coach of Messi has instead decided to claim his rival as the best.
Messi’s ex-coach picks CR7 as best in the world
The coach in question is Christophe Galtier, the Frenchman who coached Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain last season. The pair won a Ligue 1 trophy together but failed in the other major ones, such as the Champions League. Both of them left the team, with Messi choosing to leave the big stage for David Beckham’s Inter Miami, while Galtier was sacked by the PSG board for his failures.
After being sacked, he himself left Europe to take up the managerial role at Al Duhail, a Saudi Pro League club. Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet again with a brace in the 4-3 win against Galtier’s side in the AFC Champions League. The Portuguese forward has been in great form this season, even at the age of 38.
After the game, Galtier couldn’t help but say, “When you face Ronaldo, there isn’t much you can do. He scored two beautiful goals, I’m at a loss for words to describe him. What he did is extraordinary for a 38-year-old. He’s still the best player in the world.”
This is despite having witnessed Lionel Messi play firsthand under him. The two reportedly had clashed during their time together, which could be a reason. Messi himself failed to make Inter Miami qualify for the playoff spots, as he has been injured for quite some time.
Lionel Messi highly expected to win the Ballon d’Or 2023
Despite Galtier’s preference for his Portuguese counterpart, Lionel Messi is still the favorite to win one of soccer’s most prestigious awards on Monday. That is, the Argentine is widely rumored by the soccer community to win the Ballon d’Or award, which will be the eighth overall for him.
This would leapfrog his difference with Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or wins by three, as the Al-Nassr star has five. Many reputable sources, such as Fabrizio Romano have already claimed the sensational news.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is being tipped to win the award again due to his excellent year. While he didn’t win much with PSG other than the league and a cup trophy, he still had one of the highest goal contributions in Europe last season. Furthermore, he won the World Cup trophy with Argentina. This, along with the fact that he was the best player in the tournament, sealed the deal for him to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
The only competitor to the Argentine maestro is Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City last season while winning the top scorer award and the UEFA Best Player award. Despite this, his lack of contribution to his national team and the World Cup omission of Norway hampered him.
The ceremony will take place in Paris on Monday, with Lionel Messi the favorite to win another historical Ballon d’Or award. Do you think Messi deserves it? Make sure to tell us in the comments.
