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Former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino has made his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi are widely regarded as two of the best players to have ever graced the game. Still going strong despite being on the wrong side of 30, both legends have scored goals and won big titles and individual accolades galore.
With eight and five wins respectively, Messi and Ronaldo are the two most prolific Ballon d'Or winners. Both stars have scored over 800 goals for club and country in their illustrious two-decade-long careers and haven't shown signs of stopping anytime soon.
Many fans, experts and players - both former and present - have picked one over the other. What about Minamino? Well, the diminutive Japanese chose Messi over Ronaldo.
In a fun video segment shared by GOAL, Minamino chose the Portuguese over numerous players like Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But when it came to choosing between Ronaldo and Messi, he went with the Argentine.
Minamino - now at Monaco - contributed 14 goals and three assists in 55 games across competitions for Liverpool.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared in 2024?
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have made strong starts to the year. Ronaldo - now with Al-Nassr - has made a blazing start to his first full season in Saudi Arabian football.
In 33 games across competitions, he has bagged 30 goals and 11 assists. That includes league-leading tallies of 23 goals and nine assists in 23 outings in the Saudi Pro League, where Al-Alami trail runaway leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points with 10 games remaining.
In 2024 - following a mid-season break - the Portugal captain has bagged six goals in eight games across competitions. That includes three goals in four games in the league and three strikes in four outings in the AFC Champions League.
Meanwhile, Messi has made a strong start to his first full season with MLS side Inter Miami. The 36-year-old has bagged five goals and two assists in five games across competitions.
Three of those goals and one assist has come in three games in the MLS, where Tata Martino's side are atop the Eastern Conference after five matches.
