Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has now weighed in on the GOAT debate by picking his between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The two have been long debated as the finest to grace the pitch, but the question remains: who among them outranks the other?
Xhaka, who has endured a mixed period at the Emirates since his captaincy drama is slowly trying to win back the Gunners’ fans with some solid displays. He was one of the star performers for Arsenal in their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace which they won 2-0.
Granit Xhaka’s pick may upset the Arsenal fans
Xhaka has had some stint at Arsenal, so far making 251 appearances in all competitions scoring 12 goals and collecting 22 assists. He has also helped the club lift two FA Cups and reach the 2019 Europa League final. Talking to ESPN UK, in a light-hearted chat, Xhaka answered a series of rapid fire questions during which he was also asked to pick between Ronaldo an Messi.
The midfielder quickly chose Cristiano Ronaldo over the Argentine. While Xhaka opines Ronaldo is the GOAT, he may have once again invited the irk of the Arsenal fans. Ronaldo plies his trade at Manchester United, Arsenal’s fiercest rivals. Xhaka naming him as the best would have certainly raised the eyebrows of the Gunners.
However, Cristiano is currently at a stand-off with United as he wants to quit the club over the lack of Champions League football. But he still featured for them in the loss against Brighton and is also in contention to start the upcoming Brentford game.
Lionel Messi on the other hand, enjoyed a blistering start to his second season at PSG scoring two goals and assisting one in their Ligue 1 opener against Clermont Foot. The La Pulga also scored a beautiful overhead kick after controlling a pass from Leonardo Paredes with his chest.
Granit Xhaka was further asked to pick between Arsenal ‘invincibles’ Denis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, and he chose the Frenchman. Xhaka also went for a top-four finish over another FA Cup win. The choice is self-explanatory as Arsenal are yet to grace the Champions League since the 2016/17 season, while already winning the FA Cup twice in that period.
Xhaka surprisingly picked club glory over international as he expressed his wish to win the Champions League than FIFA World Cup and the Premier League. He will now be desperate to take his side to the elite European competition with a top four finish this season. Arsenal have beefed up their armoury with five signings will certainly want to get back to Champions League next season.