5 Balon d'Ors. 798 games. 650 goals. 267 assists. 32 trophies. Nine La Liga titles. Four Champions League trophies. Five European Golden Shoes. One GOAT photoshoot. One GOAT award.
It has been a long time coming but finally, we have the answers. Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi has been voted the greatest footballer of all time, beating the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele and Diego Maradona to the prestigious title.
In a four way poll, 26,104 people voted for their GOAT on Twitter, with five-time Balon d'Or winner Messi coming out on top with 44% of the vote.
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Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo was a close second, receiving 36% of the vote while Pele and Diego Maradona came in third and fourth with 15% and 5% of the vote, respectively.
SPORTbible fans rightly pointed out that legendary strikers Emile Heskey, Marlon Harewood and Stern John should have been included in the vote, but we can't please everyone, I'm afraid.
Despite the above results the debate as to whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the true G.O.A.T will never be resolved among fans.
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The Argentinian did, however, add fuel to the fire thanks to the marvelous photography of Carles Carabí.
The GOAT label is often thrown around on social media and Cristiano Ronaldo's latest Instagram post promoting some of his favourite Nike trainers once again sparked the debate.
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He posted the following post with a certain t-shirt in the background. Very cheeky indeed.
Thoughts on the above poll? Is Lionel Messi the greatest player of all time?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: SPORT, Football News, Football, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga