Lionel Messi > Cristiano Ronaldo? Real Madrid Legend Explains Why: 'He Is The...'

Last Updated:January 02, 2026, 09:55 IST

Raul lauds Lionel Messi as the Greatest Of All Time, going past Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Figo in football excellence.

One Last Dance? Ronaldo (left) and Messi could lock horns at the World Cup. (AP Photo)

Former Real Madrid forward Raul has said that while he has been fortunate to play alongside Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, he thinks the latter is the Greatest Of All Time, because he is ‘very different’ from the rest, making everything look easy.

Raul claimed that Messi was also better than Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Figo.

Speaking to EDYYN, he said that Messi was dominating football as if he were just playing on the streets with his friends.

“I have been fortunate to play with players like Zidane, Cristiano, Ronaldo, [Luis] Figo… but I think Messi is the best, he is very different. He makes everything look easy, things you see as impossible, he makes them look easy, as if he were playing with his friends in the street," Raul said.

“I think now he [Cristiano] is at the top and if it continues the same way, he could be the best of all time. I think Cristiano and Lionel Messi are two of the best players in the history of the game," Raul had said back in 2014.

Ronaldo and Messi have ruled football for over 15 years, claiming a combined 13 Ballon d’Ors, with Messi winning eight of them.

In 2023, Ronaldo told the media that his rivalry with Messi was over, adding that the competition between them had pushed both to perform at their best on the field.

“The rivalry is over. It was good, a healthy rivalry that spectators liked a lot. Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo does not have to hate Messi or vice versa, because they are both very good," Ronaldo had said while speaking to NBC Sports.

“We are respected throughout the world; that is the most important thing. He makes his way, I make mine, even if we are playing outside Europe. He has done well, from what I have seen and so have I," Ronaldo added.

News sports football Lionel Messi > Cristiano Ronaldo? Real Madrid Legend Explains Why: 'He Is The...'

Read More