Jude Bellingham picks his GOAT between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham hinted in 2019 that he backed Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time over Cristiano Ronaldo. It's a rivalry that has dominated discourses since both players' meteoric rise.

Bellingham, 19, seemed to suggest that the legendary Argentine Messi is the GOAT. He reposted a tweet from Adidas celebrating the iconic forward's sixth Ballon d'Or award. The English teenager simply added a goat emoji in response.

Lionel Messi won another Ballon d'Or (in 2021) to take his total to seven, while Cristiano Ronaldo sits on five. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker has enjoyed an illustrious career and essentially completed football by lifting the FIFA World Cup with Argentina last December.

He has scored 704 goals and contributed 333 assists in 859 club appearances. This season, the attacker is in scintillating form for PSG, scoring 15 goals and providing 14 assists in 25 games.

However, his performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will live long in the memory. Eager to claim the trophy for the first time in his career, he scored seven goals and made three assists in seven games. Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for his exploits in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has never won the World Cup. He eyed the trophy and Portuguese legend Eusebio's record of nine goals at the tournament. However, he only managed one all campaign, taking his overall tally to eight. He has bagged 706 goals and provided 223 assists in 953 club games.

Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr last month after his contract with Manchester United was mutually terminated in November. He managed an incredible four-goal haul in his new side's 4-0 win over Al Welhda on Thursday (February 9).

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Barcelona icon Gerard Pique has sided with Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as GOAT

Gerard Pique claims that Messi is the GOAT ahead of Ronaldo.

Pique, who retired last year, has also joined the debate over which of the two legendary players is the GOAT. He has chosen Messi, saying that the Argentine is ahead of Ronaldo due to pure talent.

Pique told John Nellis' YouTube channel:

“Well, it is true that the fight between them two in the last decade was quite impressive because both of them did incredibly well. I think that in terms of talent, (Lionel) Messi is number one, for sure."

He added:

“It is true that Cristiano (Ronaldo) has worked very hard to try and compete and fight for that first spot, but if you see the careers of both … I would choose Messi, for sure."

Pique played with both players during his stints at Manchester United (Cristiano Ronaldo) and Barcelona (Lionel Messi). However, he spent more time playing alongside the Argentine at the Camp Nou.