Okocha Picks Messi Over Ronaldo, Explains His GOAT Choice
Super Eagles legend Jay-Jay Okocha has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the long-running debate over football’s greatest player of all time.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the GOAT conversation for more than a decade. Both superstars have enjoyed extraordinary careers and collected major individual and team honours.
Ronaldo, 41, continues to make history late in his career. The Portugal captain has played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored hundreds of goals and won major trophies in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
Messi has also maintained his status among football’s elite. The Argentine led Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title and enjoyed a trophy-filled career at Barcelona.
The Inter Miami forward has also won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and six European Golden Shoes. He has surpassed 900 career goals while recording more than 400 assists.
Okocha picks Messi over Ronaldo
Okocha recently weighed in on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate during an appearance on the Obi One Podcast.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star was asked to choose between the two football icons. He opted for Messi because of the Argentine’s natural ability and influence on different areas of the game.
“I pick Messi over Ronaldo because Messi was born to play football, while Ronaldo is just a goal scorer for me,” Okocha said.
The Nigerian football icon was quick to acknowledge Ronaldo’s quality. However, he believes Messi offers more than his ability to score goals.
“Ronaldo is a special player. But he’s, for me, a goal scorer. He can score 10 million goals. He is a goal scorer. It’s like Haaland. Haaland is a goal scorer,” Okocha added.
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“But Messi, Messi, Messi is on another planet.
“Messi was born to play football, you know. Messi, I think Messi will get ill if he doesn’t play football. You know, he’s a genius.”
Messi and Ronaldo continue to make history
Okocha’s comments add another notable opinion to the never-ending Messi vs Ronaldo debate.
Messi currently plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, while Ronaldo continues his career with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Both players remain major figures in world football despite reaching the later stages of their careers.
While Ronaldo’s goalscoring record remains one of his biggest strengths, Okocha believes Messi’s overall influence and natural footballing ability give him the edge.
For the Super Eagles legend, that difference is enough to make Messi his choice in the GOAT debate.
