‘He Is A Genius, Pure Talent,' Brazil Legend Picks Lionel Messi Ahead Of Cristiano Ronaldo

Brazil legend Kaka has said that he would go with Lionel Messi in the debate of who among the FC Barcelona skipper and his rival Cristiano Ronaldo is the best soccer player in the world.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the sport for close to a decade now and this debate has been around in the soccer fraternity for a very long time now. Between 2008 and 2018, the prestigious award for individual brilliance in soccer, Ballon d’Or, went to either Messi or Ronaldo. Kaka was the last player to win the award (2007) before the duo began their supreme domination. In 2019, Croatia’s Luka Modric broke the cycle by receiving the award that is presented by France Football.

“I played with Cristiano and he's really amazing, but I'll go with Messi. He's a genius, a pure talent. The way he plays is incredible,” Kaka, who played for Real Madrid for five years, said when asked who he would pick out of Messi or Ronaldo during an Instagram Live Q&A for FIFA's channel.

The 37-year-old attacking midfielder has insisted that Messi and Ronaldo are among the greatest of all time in the history of soccer.

“Cristiano is a machine. It's not just the way he's strong, powerful and fast; he's strong mentally. He always wants to win and play. To be the best. For me, that's the most incredible thing he has. In the history of the sport, they [Messi and Cristiano] are definitely in the top five. We are very lucky to have been able to see both of them,” Kaka added.

Messi and Ronaldo are easily the most decorated soccer players ever having claimed a combined 65 trophies (Ronaldo 35, Messi 32) so far in their careers. The duo has surpassed the 50 goal barrier in a single season almost consistently, year after year. They are also amongst 28 players in the soccer history to have netted 500 career goals where Ronaldo is ranked fifth, two places ahead of Messi and both the players have scored 700 goals each in their club and country careers so far.

The rivalry blossomed at La Liga before Ronaldo moved from Real Madrid to Italy's Juventus in the summer of 2018. Even though Messi and Ronaldo do not play in the same league now, the debates in regards to the duo have not stopped.