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Marcus Rashford's take on the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate has resurfaced ahead of his move to Barcelona. The England international is set to join the Catalan giants on a loan deal after going out of favour at Old Trafford.
As revealed by Fabrizio Romano, Rashford will take a 15% pay cut to join the Blaugrana. Manchester United will not cover his salary while Barcelona will have the option to sign him permanently next summer for €30 million.
Rashford came through the youth ranks of Manchester United and witnessed Cristiano Ronaldo's greatness while developing. He also shared the dressing room with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner during Ronaldo's second spell with the Red Devils.
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Therefore, it would only be natural that Rashford would pick Ronaldo over his eternal rival Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate. However, back in 2018, he claimed that he considers Messi as the greatest of all time despite being a fan of Ronaldo. He said, as quoted by GIVEMESPORT:
"I'd have to say Messi, some of the stuff that he does is unbelievable. I'm a big fan of Ronaldo as well - but I think Messi is the greatest ever."
Rashford was once regarded as Manchester United's poster boy and one of England's best players. However, his career has seen a rapid decline over the last couple of seasons.
Ruben Amorim is clearly not the biggest fan of Rashford and loaned him out to Aston Villa in January. He scored four goals and provided six assists in 17 games for the Villans but they did not opt to sign him permanently.
The 27-year-old made 426 appearances for Manchester United over the years and won six trophies. He scored 138 goals and produced 77 assists during his time at Old Trafford while earning 62 caps and scoring 17 times for England.
When Giorgio Chiellini picked between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Giorgio Chiellini picked Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Lionel Messi when he was asked to pick between the two. The former Italy international claimed that he would pick Ronaldo as his teammate ahead of his eternal rival.
Chiellini faced both Messi and Ronaldo throughout his illustrious career for club and country. He also lined up alongside Ronaldo for Juventus between 2018 and 2021.
On being asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Italian defender picked Ronaldo. He insisted that the Portuguese maestro elevates his game on the biggest of occasions. He said in 2024, as quoted by talkSPORT:
"We cannot say for me, who is better, Messi or Cristiano. But if I have to pick one, for a final, Cristiano. I love to play with Cristiano. And I saw when the game is more difficult, he raises his level of performance."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated football for almost two decades and shattered record after record. They won 13 Ballon d'Ors between themselves, which is a testament to their dominance in modern football.
