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For the first time, Lionel Messi names the best striker of all time after himself

For the first time, Lionel Messi names the best striker of all time after himself

Goals make the football world go round, and Lionel Messi understands that more than most. After all, his 856 career goals for club and country have gone a long way in helping the Argentine genius secure a World Cup, two Copa Americas, four Champions Leagues and a host of other accolades that make him the most decorated footballer of all time. A total of 45 trophies to his name.

Playing as a winger/attacking midfielder/free forward throughout his career – which has seen him represent the likes of Barcelona, ​​PSG and now Inter Miami – the 37-year-old can never be assigned to one position, reflecting an all-round influence in the final third.

So when asked to name the greatest striker of all time, Messi could have rightly chosen himself – or even his long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he chose neither.


Instead, it is the other Ronaldo that Messi believes is the deadliest striker in history. The former Brazilian won a string of honours including two World Cups and two Ballon d'Ors during a career that saw him score 414 goals in 616 appearances for club and country, and while injuries prevented him from achieving even more, today's strikers look to him as a reference.

Ronaldo won five trophies in total for Brazil, including two FIFA World Cups, in 1994 and 2002. During the 2002 tournament, the striker finished as the tournament's top scorer, winning the Golden Boot in the process, ending the World Cup with eight goals. Ronaldo's goals were one of the main reasons behind Brazil's success.

Messi told TyC Sports in 2019, according to the Mirror: "Ronaldo Nazario was a phenomenon. Of all the strikers I've ever seen, he was the best. He was incredible."

A deadly finisher with an innate ability to make any opposing player look like a relic in their attempts to keep up with his leg-breaking trickery, Ronaldo is often considered the gold standard for any striker.

Most notably playing for PSV, Barcelona, ​​Inter and Real Madrid, Ronaldo retired in 2011 and admitted that his body had finally succumbed to the crippling litany of injuries that had blighted his career. /Telegraph/