Liverpool's outgoing director of research Ian Graham has settled the GOAT debate through the help of science.
Football's age-old question continues to rumble on, with Graham taking a deeper look at the data, revealing a clearcut winner.
Speaking to an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival this week, he named the GOAT through data, revealing: "It’s Messi."
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Messi and Ronaldo both staked their claim to being the greatest of all time following their legendary rivalry in La Liga.
The former Barcelona man and ex-Real Madrid superstar have scored more than 800 goals and have won 76 major trophies between them, including the World Cup, which Messi raised in Qatar.
But when the pair of forwards were 'ranked using sophisticated models to evaluate their broader contribution' to their respective team's success, the Argentinian was clearly ahead of his opposite number.
Graham added: "The difference is that Messi is also a world-class attacking midfielder. The chances he creates for his teammates are an order of magnitude greater than Ronaldo.
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"Messi does two jobs brilliantly. Ronaldo does one job brilliantly. That’s the difference."
The 35-year-old enhanced his claim to GOAT status following his heroics at the 2022 World Cup.
He won the best player of the tournament as he starred for his national team.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner announced on Wednesday he was signing for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami following his Paris Saint-Germain departure.
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He will ply his trade in the States, having enjoyed his whole professional career in Europe, with Barcelona and PSG.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football
Nasir Jabbar