Jack Grealish was left visibly struggling to pick between Ronaldo or Messi in the GOAT debate

Jack Grealish struggled to choose who he preferred between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The most heated and at times tedious debate among football fans over the past 15 years has been over who is the better player - Messi or Ronaldo.

In that time the pair have dominated the game, predominantly playing for rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, and collectively claimed 79 trophies and 12 Ballon d’Ors.

And Manchester City winger Grealish gave his take on who is the better player while taking part in a ‘this or that’ challenge on TikTok.

Dressed in his City kit, Grealish faced several questions, opting for night games over early kick-offs, long sleeve shirts over short sleeves and claiming assists for teammates over scoring goals himself.

But then the 28-year-old was faced with one of the most contentious questions in football: Ronaldo or Messi?

Grealish was visibly torn, clasping his hands and screwing up his face while mulling over the decision. But after much deliberation, the England international opted for Messi over Ronaldo, arguably the safer answer given the latter is a Manchester United legend.

The debate between Ronaldo and Messi remains as heated between fans over social media, despite both players being in the twilight of their careers and no longer playing in Europe.

However, Ronaldo believes the feud between the pair is no longer present.

In a recent press conference Ronaldo said: "I don't see things like that, the rivalry is gone.

"It was good, spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don't have to hate Messi and vice versa. We've done well, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that's the most important thing.

"He's followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe.

"From what I've seen, he's been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don't see the rivalry like that. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years. I'm not saying we're friends, I've never had dinner with him, but we're professional colleagues and we respect each other."

Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jack Grealish, Manchester City

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.