Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, the reigning five-time World Chess Champion, has chosen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
It is perhaps one of football's most significant debates of all time. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi - who is the better striker remains a question that continues to grip fans worldwide. This summer, the Manchester United icon's future at Old Trafford remains a contention. At the same time, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker will hope to make an impact in his second season at the Ligue 1 champion's campaign. While supporters will keep a close eye on two of the greatest footballers of all time in a World Cup year, Norweigian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has made his pick between the Portugal and Argentine talisman.
Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, the five-time World Chess Champion, who is said to have an IQ of 190, revealed who, according to him, the greatest footballer of all time is. "I think it's pretty hard to make a case for anybody else than [Lionel] Messi for his all-round game," Carlsen said.
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The 31-year-old added, "My Real Madrid fandom sort of predates the Ronaldo era – the second Ronaldo, not the first one [Ronaldo Nazario]. I always liked Ronaldo, but I always kind of thought that Messi was better."
"I went to quite a number of Madrid games and they've always been super helpful to me down there. The only thing is that they were going to do an interview and they were going to ask me who my favourite player was. I said somebody else, I think it was Isco at that point, and they were like: 'Okay, take two, now you say Ronaldo'. So for them it was very important, but it wasn't that huge to me," the Norweigian remarked.
When the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry was at its zenith, it seemed like everyone connected to Real Madrid and Barcelona had to support each squad's top player publicly. If the Los Blancos signed a player, that footballer would declare that the Portugal talisman was the world's best footballer or vice-versa with the Catalan club and the Argentine superstar.
However, things have changed somewhat now that Ronaldo and Messi are no longer affiliated with La Liga's top two clubs. The argument about which of the two legends is better, however, will continue for many years because there is no clear winner.