14 players broke 'forbidden' Cristiano Ronaldo rule after playing with the Man Utd and Real Madrid legend

Although many of Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammates have sided with him in the 'greatest of all time' conversation, a few have picked his great rival Lionel Messi – including seven ex-Manchester United players.

It remains one of the most debated topics in football. Who is the GOAT?

Does the title belong to Cristiano Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, as well as the record holder for the most Champions League goals.

Or should that mantle belong to Lionel Messi, the man with eight Ballon d'Ors, six European golden boots and three International golden balls to his name – not to mention that elusive World Cup winners' medal.

Everyone has an opinion on who reigns supreme, with many players tending to opt for the player who they have the greater association with.

However, a number of Ronaldo's former teammates have named Messi as the greatest. In fact, a total of 14 players that shared a dressing room with the Portuguese forward have picked the Argentine, including Wayne Rooney.

Speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Rooney said: “I think Messi, he’s the best ever. I get a lot of stick for saying Messi where it’s as if, ‘How can you say Messi, it’s Ronaldo.’

“I understand that people can say Messi, people can say Ronaldo – they are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game. For me, Messi has just got that little bit more flare, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason.”

Some of Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammates who sided with Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate

Dimitar Berbatov

“He [Messi] is the f***ing greatest. Ronaldo is brilliant, Messi is more my kind of player. He sees the game so clearly. He can score, create, he’s the complete player, the best ever probably.”

Mesut Ozil

“It’s a difficult question.. but I will choose Messi because he won the World Cup."

Wojciech Szczesny

“I still don’t know how I saved Messi’s penalty,” he said after saving his penalty against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. “But it’s a nice feeling because I consider him to be the best player in the history of our game.”

Sergio Ramos

“There was suffering for several years playing against Messi. I am now enjoying him. He is the best player football has ever produced.”

Image credit: Getty

Gianluigi Buffon

“They are two completely different players. Messi is more complete, because he starts deeper, has more technical quality and a vision of the game that is worthy more of a trequartista than a finisher.

“Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps because he is a little older, has become a killer in the penalty area. Compared to how he was before, Ronaldo preserves his energy more, so he no longer goes out to the flank for a nutmeg or trick-shot, but with one ball into the box he can create a goal.”

Luka Modric

"I hope he [Messi] will win this World Cup, he is the best player in history and he deserves it. He is playing a great World Cup, he shows quality and greatness in every game."

Marcus Rashford

“Some of the stuff that he does is unbelievable, I'm a big fan of [Cristiano] Ronaldo as well, but I think Messi is the greatest ever.”

Luke Shaw

"Scored 91 goals in a year. Has Ronaldo done that?"

Paul Scholes

"Watching Messi against Tottenham at Wembley made me think about the Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo debate again. Messi, but Ronaldo is brilliant. Ronaldo is sensational at what he does, with pace and power. He scores, he takes free-kicks.

"But as an all-round footballer, Messi – wow, his passing – has absolutely everything.”

Image credit: Getty

Angel Di Maria

“At the end of the day, the best player is the one with the most Ballon d’Or awards, and Leo has eight. So for me, there’s a certain gap between him and Cristiano.”

Carlos Tevez

“Cristiano is totally different to Messi. When Leo was starting out, he didn’t touch a gym. But Cristiano was there in the morning, afternoon and evening, all the time. Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo it comes naturally.

"Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For Messi to score three goals [in any given game] is normal.”

Gerard Pique

“I always said that Messi has some talent that no one has. I mean, he has the ball and his speed controlling the ball. The ball doesn’t go two metres far from his foot, it’s always there. It’s impossible to catch him, this talent I didn’t see from anyone.”

Matthijs de Ligt

"I'll go with Messi. There's no need to explain much."