Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has made his pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, leading to fans of both players engaging in an online argument.
Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricket players of all time. The now-retired batter did a #AskSachin session on Twitter on Friday (April 21) to engage with his fans. One fan asked him:
“Who is your favourite footballer? #AskSachin”
Sachin Tendulkar replied to the question with a picture of Lionel Messi kissing the FIFA World Cup trophy he won with Argentina in Qatar in 2022.
Arguably the greatest batter of all time appears to have made his choice. This, however, led to another online argument between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo‘s fans. Both players are widely considered to be two of the greatest footballers of all time.
The debate for the actual GOAT, however, has gone on for around 15 years now. After Sachin Tendulkar picked Messi as his favorite footballer, the debate resurfaced as fans reacted on Twitter. One fan wrote:
“Sir, you have great football knowledge”
Another, however, disagreed with the Indian legend, tweeting:
“Usual L tweet”
Here are some more reactions from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fans after Sachin Tendulkar picked the former as his favorite footballer:
When Virat Kohli picked between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Another Indian cricketing legend, Virat Kohli, has never been shy of showing his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo. He wrote a heartfelt post for the 38-year-old after Portugal’s exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup and has often backed the forward.
In 2019, he picked Ronaldo over Messi, stating that the former is a more “complete” player. He said (via Times of India):
“Tough question. But I would say Cristiano is the most complete player that I have seen. Whether it’s the left foot, right foot, speed or dribbling skills, he’s amazing. I have not seen a better goalscorer…”
He added:
“Messi is a freak, absolute natural talent, and his ability is second to none. For me, what stands out is the ability or the will to put in the effort in every single minute of the game.
“Ronaldo’s drive separates him from everyone else. Playing at the top level, everyone has talent, but I don’t think anyone has the will that he has.”
This shows just how hard it is to pick between the two legendary footballers as the two cricketing legends seem to have different opinions.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated football for around 15 years, having won almost everything available for club and country. They have scored over 1,600 goals and won 12 Ballons d’Or between them.