Twitter says GOAT debate is now settled after Lionel Messi's masterclass against Croatia

Twitter overflowed with reactions to Argentina’s 3-0 win against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinal, which helped them earn a place in the summit clash. This came days after Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal ended their campaign with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Morocco. While both Ronaldo and Messi are understood to be playing in their last World Cup, netizens suggested that the debate about who is the best footballer between Messi and Ronaldo has ended now.

It is pertinent to mention that Ronaldo and Messi share a total of 12 Ballon d’Or trophies between them, with Ronaldo winning five and Messi winning seven. With Messi’s effort to score and assist for Argentina in the semi-final, the 35-year-old registered his fifth goal in World Cup 2022, which was his 11th overall goal in the competition. On the other hand, Ronaldo only found a goal once during Portugal’s campaign and was also dropped from the starting XI during the Round of 16 and quarterfinal games. 

Suggesting that Messi has now proved that he is a better player than Ronaldo, former English footballer Gary Lineker put out a tweet and said, “Is there still a debate? Asking for a goat”. A Twitter user reacted to the tweet and said, “For me Ronaldo has been better than Messi since the beginning but Ronaldo's decline these last 6 months means Messi is the better player now. For the last 15 years it's still Ronaldo”.

Twitter reaffirms Lionel Messi as the GOAT

Meanwhile, another user reminded everyone that Ronaldo is over two years older than Messi. “You're all forgetting that Ronaldo is 2 1/2 years OLDER than Messi and that makes a big difference when comparing the two at this stage of their respective careers,” the user said. “I respect Ronaldo obviously but how you can watch football and not decide Lionel Messi is the obvious GOAT is insane to me,” another user wrote on Twitter.

Ronaldo is the leading goal scorer in men’s international football with 118 goals in 193 appearances. Interestingly, Messi sits third in the all-time list behind Ali Daei’s tally of 109 goals in 148 caps. However, the Argentine player is second in the list of active players with the most goals, courtesy of 96 goals in 171 appearances.