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The GOAT debate featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continues even though both megastars are now playing outside of Europe. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was the last former player to address the debate and had nothing but high praise for both megastars.
Carragher faced Ronaldo more times than Messi, as the Portuguese megastar spent five years with Manchester United in the Premier League. He made it clear, though, that neither was at his prime when they faced Carragher and the Reds.
"I played against both of them, but I’m not sure either were at their peak yet,” Carragher says. “Ronaldo was probably at his best in the last year or two at United and then the first three years with Real Madrid. And Messi was still three or four years away. So maybe I played them at a good time," Jamie Carragher said in an interview with Football 365.
During that time, the two megastars had dominated the football stage, with Ronaldo playing for the Red Devils and Real Madrid, and Messi being a part of Barcelona.
Jamie Carragher doesn't expect to see another player having the longevity of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the football stage for almost one and a half decades before leaving Europe to move to Saudi Arabia and the United States, respectively.
Before that, they won every title they competed for at a club level and Jamie Carragher believes there will be no other player that will have the longevity of these two superstars.
"It’s unbelievable how many Ballons d’Or they’ve both won, considering they were competing with each other. Normally, if someone would win the Ballon d’Or two or three times, they were an absolute god. These two were both winning it five, six, seven times. I’ve never seen anyone have the longevity at the top of those two. Maybe someone could get to their level for two or three years, but to go for as long as those players have, I’m not sure we’ll ever see that again," Carragher told Football 365.
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, while Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed it five times.
