The greatest rivalry between two legends of soccer, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, always sparks intense debate among fans over who deserves the title of Greatest of All Time. Even though, they now play in different parts of the world, their fervent rivalry remains a point of discussion and is unabated.
Not just fans, but athletes across various sports disciplines frequently face inquiries about their preference between the iconic player from Portugal and his counterpart from Argentina. Recently, UFC star fighter Ilia Topuria disclosed her preference, eliciting diverse responses from netizens.
Illia Topuria hails Lionel Messi as his favorite athlete
Spanish UFC star Illia Topuria made history at UFC 298 by defeating Alexander Volkanovski with a knockout in the 2nd round, securing the UFC Featherweight Championship title, last Saturday at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California. His triumph marked him as the first-ever Spaniard to clinch a UFC belt, heralding a new era in the division.
Topuria, on the back of an undefeated record in the octagon, locked horns with the five-time successful title defender and reigning champion, Volkanovski. However, this time, the Australian couldn’t defend his crown against the motivated German-born Spanish challenger.
Recently, he was featured on the ‘El Partidazo de COPE‘ show, where he was asked about his favorite athlete. The 27-year-old’s response was Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, whom he even compared to being close to God, as he responded, “I really like Messi, really. He is a great guy, familiar, humble, close to God… I love Messi.”
The newly crowned UFC Champion’s choice of the Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner over Los Blancos icon Cristiano Ronaldo was amusing, especially since he is a self-proclaimed die-hard Real Madrid fan. “I’m a fan of Real Madrid for its values, but as an athlete, I really admire Messi and the approach he has taken in his life,” he added.
Soccer fans react to Illia Topuria’s Lionel Messi admission
The UFC history maker will be taking the honorary kick-off in the upcoming La Liga fixture between Real Madrid and Sevilla on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu. As Topuria has expressed his love for the Spanish club, being a Madridista, he confirmed the news in his press conference.
However, despite supporting the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners, his choice of a rival club’s legend as his favorite athlete has elicited amusing reactions from the fans on social media.
A fan wrote, “Why am I not surprised a guy who beats the living daylights out of someone as a day job connects with Madrid’s ‘values,’ subtly hinting at his view of resonating values with Real Madrid.”
“Greatness transcends team rivalries! ⚽🏆🐐” another fan captioned, acknowledging that greatness transcends team rivalry.
A third fan agreed with Topuria’s views, “Messi and Jordan, goats of their sports,” crowning Messi and Michael Jordan the greatest of all time (GOATs) in their respective sports.
Another fan added, “I accept everything except the ‘fan of Real Madrid for its values’ part 😅,” not agreeing with the claimed values of Real Madrid.
Another fan stated, “Messi is surely the world’s GOAT by the majority,” further solidifying Lionel Messi’s stature as the GOAT.
