Despite Lionel Messi winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar 2022, the rivalry between him and Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t subsided, with former Manchester United defender Evra choosing his ex-teammate over the Paris Saint-Germain star. After his contract was terminated in November, Ronaldo’s second tenure at United came to an end. He now plied trade for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Premier League, but Evra still thinks he should be ranked above Messi in the list of all-time great footballers.
The former France full-back also made an absurd claim that Lionel Messi would have won a staggering 15 Ballon d’Or awards, had he followed Ronaldo’s work ethic. Messi already has the most Ballon d’Or awards in the history of the sport, having won it a record seven times, which is also two more than his all-time rival Ronaldo. He was also crowned FIFA The Best player for the year 2022 last month, his second award since FIFA and France Football split.
Evra explains why Cristiano Ronaldo is still the GOAT over Lionel Messi
Many closed the debate on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, branding the Argentine as the ultimate GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) after leading his nation to World Cup win. The last couple of years have been jubilant for Messi with Argentina, as he first guided them to Copa America title win in 2021, his trophy with the national team, followed by their first World Cup since 1986 in December 2022. He collectively notched a brilliant 11 goals and 8 assists across the two tournaments, also winning him the best player award at both tournaments.
However, his World Cup exploits were hailed as the best ever, carrying the La Albiceleste on his back after losing the tournament opener with 7 goals and 3 assists across the seven games. Lionel Messi also netted a brace in the final against France, although his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe outshone him with a hat-trick and taking home the Golden Boot. But the ultimate prize was won by the ‘La Pulga’, earning him the GOAT’s degree. But Evra disagrees with those claims, as he told Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel FIVE:
“I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time. It’s not because he’s our brother it’s because I’m in love with work ethic. I feel like Messi, god just gave him a talent and Cristiano had to work for it. He had the talent but he had to work for it. If Messi had the same work ethic as Ronaldo, he would probably have like 15 Ballon d’Ors today. I’m just in love with people working hard so that’s why I pick Ronaldo over Messi.”
Despite Evra’s claims, Lionel Messi is expected to earn a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or this year after leading Argentina to their third World Cup title in Qatar. The 35-year-old was named The Best male player at the 2022 The Best FIFA Awards, but since then, he has experienced Champions League heartbreak with Paris Saint-Germain, who were eliminated from the tournament at the last-16 stage after losing 3-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich.
While Ronaldo has amassed five Ballon d’Or awards throughout his career, including during glitzy stints at United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the 38-year-old is not anticipated to make another run for the prize after moving to Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr. Nonetheless, the Portuguese has resumed business as usual at the Riyadh-based outfit, netting seven goals in eight games in all competitions so far.