DOHA: It may have been an off day at the World Cup on Thursday, but nothing stopped the football discussion that never ends – who is the better player, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
With no games in the Qatari capital for the second straight day, fans headed to Souk Waqif to shop and see the sights, and the decade-long debate over who the GOAT is – the “most great of all time” – continued in cafes and restaurants.
Fans of Argentina, who face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Friday, and Portugal, who face Morocco on Saturday, were well represented in the narrow streets and squares of the souk, with many also neutral.
“It’s Ronaldo – I think Ronaldo’s all-round game is superb. I think he’s more versatile than Messi, who has a wonderful left foot, but Ronaldo is the best footballer and athlete,” an England fan said . David Barley told Reuters.
Robbie Lyle, another England supporter and host of Arsenal Fan TV, disagreed.
“It must be Messi now – I’ve been to all the games here and Messi, in the last game (against Australia), he ran the show,” he told Reuters.
RIVALS
Messi and Ronaldo, 35, who is two years older, dominated football’s most polarizing debate for nearly 10 years, especially when they were rivals at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Both are playing their fifth World Cup but neither has yet won the trophy. It’s the only major accolade that’s eluded them in their glittering career, and it may be their last chance to get it.
With Ronaldo being benched in Portugal’s 6-1 demolition against Switzerland, some of his die-hard fans have reconsidered the current situation.
“Today? It’s probably Messi, but overall I prefer Ronaldo – I’m a Portugal fan, Sporting are my team, so Ronaldo,” said USA fan Melo Barrows.
Dressed in a traditional white thobe in the bustling souk, Saudi Arabia’s Badr Saleh Debel said he had no doubts in his mind – Messi is the greatest.
“Messi, Messi, absolutely Messi,” he said. “It’s not about the ball, the goals, the story. He’s a good player, he also scores, he assists – what a player, he’s the best player ever.”
With both greats in the twilight of their careers, there’s only one way to decide which legacy will be greater, according to Melo Barrows.
“A Portugal-Argentina final would be the best scenario,” he said.
With no games in the Qatari capital for the second straight day, fans headed to Souk Waqif to shop and see the sights, and the decade-long debate over who the GOAT is – the “most great of all time” – continued in cafes and restaurants.
Fans of Argentina, who face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Friday, and Portugal, who face Morocco on Saturday, were well represented in the narrow streets and squares of the souk, with many also neutral.
“It’s Ronaldo – I think Ronaldo’s all-round game is superb. I think he’s more versatile than Messi, who has a wonderful left foot, but Ronaldo is the best footballer and athlete,” an England fan said . David Barley told Reuters.
Robbie Lyle, another England supporter and host of Arsenal Fan TV, disagreed.
“It must be Messi now – I’ve been to all the games here and Messi, in the last game (against Australia), he ran the show,” he told Reuters.
RIVALS
Messi and Ronaldo, 35, who is two years older, dominated football’s most polarizing debate for nearly 10 years, especially when they were rivals at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Both are playing their fifth World Cup but neither has yet won the trophy. It’s the only major accolade that’s eluded them in their glittering career, and it may be their last chance to get it.
With Ronaldo being benched in Portugal’s 6-1 demolition against Switzerland, some of his die-hard fans have reconsidered the current situation.
“Today? It’s probably Messi, but overall I prefer Ronaldo – I’m a Portugal fan, Sporting are my team, so Ronaldo,” said USA fan Melo Barrows.
Dressed in a traditional white thobe in the bustling souk, Saudi Arabia’s Badr Saleh Debel said he had no doubts in his mind – Messi is the greatest.
“Messi, Messi, absolutely Messi,” he said. “It’s not about the ball, the goals, the story. He’s a good player, he also scores, he assists – what a player, he’s the best player ever.”
With both greats in the twilight of their careers, there’s only one way to decide which legacy will be greater, according to Melo Barrows.
“A Portugal-Argentina final would be the best scenario,” he said.
