Prime Lionel Messi or Prime Cristiano Ronaldo? When Harry Kane made his choice between the GOATs

Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane once opted for Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. The English striker is one of the most feared attackers in the European circuit, but even his goalscoring prowess falls short of the force that was La Pulga and CR7 in their prime.

The Argentinean spent much of his career with Barcelona, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021. Lionel Messi currently plies his trade with MLS side Inter Miami, having moved across the Atlantic in the summer of 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has conquered the Premier League, LaLiga, and the Serie A during his career. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is currently with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

Speaking to Prime Video Sport in 2022, as cited by PSG Talk, Kane opted for the Argentinean when asked to choose between the two superstars in their prime.

“I’ll go with prime Messi,” Kane said.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have gifted the world a football rivalry unlike anything in the history of the beautiful game. The superstars have both broken records at will in their prime, and although they are no longer young, their influence remains undiminished.

La Pulga has registered 860 goals and 381 assists from 1098 games across competitions to date. CR7, meanwhile, has scored 934 goals and set up 257 more from 1277 games in all competitions in his career so far.

What has Cristiano Ronaldo said about his relationship with Lionel Messi?

Cristiano Ronaldo once insisted that he never had a bad relationship with Lionel Messi. The two modern superstars have divided the world into two camps since exploding into the scenes around two decades ago.

Speaking earlier this year to Spanish media platform LaSexta TV, as cited by NDTV, CR7 revealed that he has always gotten along well with Messi.

"I've never had a bad relationship with Messi. We've shared 15 years of awards, and we've always gotten along well. I remember that I used to translate English for him, and it was very funny," said Ronaldo.

He continued:

"He defended his club and I mine, and his national team and I mine. I think we gave each other feedback. There were years when he wanted to play everything, and so did I. It was a healthy fight."

The 'Ronaldo vs Messi' debate continues to be part of football conversation around the world, with the two players showing no signs of slowing down.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee