Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold has given his opinion on who he thinks comes out on top between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and his answer has gotten people talking. The topic of who is better out of the most successful Ballon d’Or winner of all time and the greatest ever goalscorer football has seen has often been debated, with fans sitting on either side of the fence.
Having had the unique perspective of both watching and playing against the duo, Alexander-Arnold’s better placed than most to have his say on which icon is superior. However, his forthright response on the question has certainly caught plenty of people’s attention.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi gazes lovingly at the World Cup trophy.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, the full-back was asked who his best direct opponent was. Without hesitation, Alexander-Arnold namedropped Messi, before waxing lyrical on the former Barcelona and PSG star:
“The best has to be Messi for me. Best player I’ve played against. The best player that’s ever played the game.
“I never watched Maradona. To imagine anyone better than what I’ve been able to see [from Messi], my brain doesn’t comprehend it. There’s no way anyone can be better than him.
“There is just a different feeling playing against him that I’ve ever felt with anyone else. You’re always on red alert when the ball is near him. I think it’s very rare for a player to put that feeling into other players, so, for that reason, I have to say him.
“For me, I think in many, many aspects of the game he’s probably the best at any given moment. He can almost do what he wants on a football pitch, so for that reason he’s the best.”
The Liverpudlian’s strong stance has led to many sharing his comments on social media, both in support and questioning his stance. It is not the first time that he has backed the Argentine forward over Portugal’s greatest son either, publicly doing so in a previous video with JD Sports.
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Portugal
Given that Alexander-Arnold has spent all of his career in a different league than Messi, and just the better part of 18 months in the same domestic competition as Cristiano Ronaldo, there haven’t been too many encounters against them. However, in club football, the defender can boast an unbeaten record against ‘La Pulga,’ albeit in just one outing.
The fixture in question was the infamous 4-0 victory over Barcelona in 2019, where the Reds overturned a three-goal deficit from their first leg tie.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Alexander-Arnold managed two assists during Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Barcelona, including for the winning goal.
As for Ronaldo, he technically has the advantage over the Liverpool defender, but barely. They came up against each other twice during CR7’s second stint at Manchester United, where the Englishman was on the right side of a 5-0 drubbing in 2021. The other time the duo came up against each other was during Erik ten Hag’s first victory as Manchester United manager, where Ronaldo only appeared as a late substitute.
The only other time they matched up was in the 2018 Champions League final, where Real Madrid won 3-1 thanks to a Loris Karius error and Gareth Bale overhead kick.
