Have you ever wondered who Pep Guardiola thinks is the greatest footballer of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
The duo have sparked global conversations between grown men and women, school children and families at office desks, classrooms and dinner tables, dividing two parties both as adamant as each other that one is superior to the other.
Messi may have put an end to that debate in 2022 when he lifted the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar, a medal which is currently missing from 39-year-old Ronaldo’s cabinet, and a medal which he may never see though he is insistent in competing at the 2026 tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.
With the Ballon d’Or handed to Manchester City’s Rodri earlier in the week, nostalgia kicked in and fans around the world began to remember the era where only either Ronaldo or Messi would lift football’s most prestigious individual award, and even Guardiola got involved.
Prior to Rodri’s crowning, Guardiola said: “Messi: nobody could beat him. Just Cristiano. Cristiano was a monster and the father of the monster is Messi. Both have done something incredible in the last 20 years and maybe in that moment, Xavi and Iniesta deserve it as well.”
MORE ON THE BALLON D’OR FROM F365:
👉 Who will win the 2025 Ballon d’Or? Real Madrid trio in top five favourites despite boycott
👉 Real Madrid legend blasts boring Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is only ‘a good player’
👉 Man City star Rodri wins the Ballon d’Or as Real Madrid boycotters finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th
We’re not saying this is case closed for who the GOAT is just yet as Guardiola obviously prefers the player he managed for four years in Barcelona.
Together, with Xavi and Iniesta, Guardiola won the Champions League twice, with a team fans widely regard as the greatest footballing side ever, implementing a never-been-seen before ‘Tiki Taka’ style of football while winning the ball within a matter of seconds whenever they lost it.
Guardiola’s Barca enjoyed a particularly fierce rivalry against a Real Madrid side consisting of Ronaldo, though the Spanish boss had the upper hand on his counterparts winning three La Liga titles in that period.
Since the departures of both Messi and Ronaldo from Spain, La Liga has almost had to build itself back up, with El Classico not carrying the novelty it once did as both Madrid and Barca boasted the best players in the world.
Now however, new Barca boss Hansi Flick has placed his trust in the Catalan youth as La Masia looks to dominate the league once again, while Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti have spent well in recent years to develop their own stars in Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham, as well as signing proven star Kylian Mbappe, though he has endured a turbulent start to life in the Spanish capital.
