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Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard And Frank Lampard Give Verdicts On Lionel Messi Vs Cristiano Ronaldo

Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard And Frank Lampard Give Verdicts On Lionel Messi Vs Cristiano Ronaldo

Who is the GOAT out of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard share their honest thoughts.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Premier League legends Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have all revealed where they stand on the long-running debate surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi.

Juventus superstar Ronaldo, 35, and Barcelona captain Messi, 33, are widely regarded as two of the best players in the history of the sport.

But heated debates have emerged over who would be considered the GOAT of football out of Ronaldo and Messi.

Gerrard praised both Ronaldo and Messi for their incredible abilities on the pitch, but he admitted that he would lean more towards the Argentine superstar.

The Liverpool icon told Robbie Savage on his podcast: "They're very different for me.

"I think they're both operating on a different planet to every footballer that's ever lived, probably besides your Peles and your Maradonas.

"But Messi, for me, is more of a team player. If he's in on goal, he'll look for a pass as well as obviously posting really, really good numbers individually as well.

PA

PA

"Ronaldo, for me, is more individual. He's hungry for goals, he's a little bit more selfish, whether that be in a good way or a bad way and obviously the profile of the players is very different in terms of size.

"I think they're different in many ways but what I will say to them, and the biggest compliment I can give them, is they're operating on a different planet than any other footballer out there at the moment.

"I go Messi. I'm not selfish, I'm a team player."

Meanwhile, Lampard admitted that he was a huge admirer of Diego Maradona growing up, but he insisted that Messi is the best player of any era.

PA

PA

"Diego Maradona was my favourite player always," the Chelsea hero said.

"But I think, for me, Lionel Messi is the best -- not just of this era but of every era."

Finally, Scholes made it a clean sweep across the board for Messi as he explained why the six-time Ballon d'Or winner stood out from the rest of the competition.

The Manchester United legend said: "I think about the great players with whom I have shared a pitch: Eric Cantona, Zinedine Zidane, [Andrea] Pirlo, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo -- and the greatest of them all is Messi."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Juve, Juventus, Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga, Barca