Portugal midfielder refuses to give clear preference to Cristiano Ronaldo in debate with Lionel Messi; picks Torres as greatest Chelsea player

Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves refused to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate during a recent interview with GOAL. The 28-year-old was asked to name the best player in the history of eight European clubs.

The Portuguese midfielder started by naming Pauleta as the best player in Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) history. He then backed Kevin De Bruyne as Manchester City's greatest. Neves named countryman Cristiano Ronaldo as the best in Real Madrid's history while crowning Fernando Torres as Chelsea's greatest.

Later, he picked Philipp Lahm for Bayern Munich and Robert Lewandowski as Borussia Dortmund's best in history. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder backed Andrea Pirlo as Juventus's greatest before hailing Lionel Messi as the best player in Barcelona's history.

Ruben Neves then had to pick between his choices in the second round. He picked Pauleta over De Bruyne, Ronaldo over Torres, Lewandowski over Lahm and Messi over Pirlo. Later, he eliminated former Portuguese attacker Pauleta and Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski from the list.

Towards the end, only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remained, and Neves didn't pick one over the other. He said:

"Both"

The 28-year-old is currently in the United States with Al-Hilal for the FIFA World Club Cup. The Saudi giants will face Mexican side Pachuca in their last group stage game on Thursday, May 26.

When new Liverpool signing was asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

New Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz was asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2024 after Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title. Messi and Ronaldo have dominated their sport for nearly two decades, winning numerous individual and team accolades.

Picking one over another is always a tricky choice, as opinions in the football world have been divided. However, the German midfielder didn't face any such issues as he backed Messi over Portuguese attacker Ronaldo. He said (via SEVEN MASTERS on YouTube):

"Of course, it's Messi."

The 22-year-old midfielder has joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £116 million, including add-ons, earlier this month.

About the author

Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.

Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.

He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava