Lionel Messi's Telling Response When Asked Directly If He's the Football GOAT

Lionel Messi gave an interesting response when it was claimed that he is the greatest footballer of all time in a recent interview.

Messi, who currently plays for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, is widely considered to be the greatest footballer to have played the game – although Cristiano Ronaldo may take a dim view of this.

The general consensus among football fans is that Messi and Ronaldo are by far the two greatest players of all time, with the pair boasting a combined 13 Ballon d’Or crowns between them.

And there’s seemingly no correct answer to the so-called ‘GOAT debate’. Real Madrid and Portugal fans will argue that Ronaldo is the best, while Barcelona supporters and Argentinians would no doubt back Messi.

Ronaldo himself has previously claimed that he is the “most complete player to have existed” during an interview with El Chiringuito TV earlier this year.

The Portuguese said: “I do everything well in football: with my head, free kicks, left foot. I'm fast, I'm strong.”

However, the Al Nassr forward did concede that he “understands” why people like Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona.

But what does Messi think?

Well, when NBC Sports journalist Tom Llamas said: “You are the GOAT”, in a recent interview with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Messi simply smiled without offering his take before then revealing which other sportspeople have inspired him throughout his illustrious career.

“For us Argentinians, Maradona was always the one,” Messi said.

“Our greatest legend. The greatest player for what he represented to all of us. I was young and only saw him play live a little, but Diego transcended everything. He was something much bigger than any limits or boundaries in football.”

You’re the GOAT 🐐, right?

Lionel Messi: “ smiles 😁”

pic.twitter.com/5TpD1sbTAf

— MC (@CrewsMat10) October 27, 2025

Messi then named NBA legends Michael Jordan, Steph Curry and LeBron James, as well as tennis stars Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

While Ronaldo has consistently backed himself and claimed he is the best and most complete player to have graced football, Messi has never explicitly said he is the greatest.

In a previous interview with DSports, Messi claimed he has “a lot of respect” for Ronaldo but admitted the pair were not “friends” away from football.

"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level,” Messi said.

“We’re not friends, obviously, because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect."

Both Messi and Ronaldo will likely feature for Argentina and Portugal at next summer’s World Cup in North America, with the latter yet to win the tournament.