For more than 15 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to dominate the football world and the debate rages on as for who is the greatest between the two. Weighing in on the spirited discussion, David Beckham said one is a cut above the rest while Wayne Rooney offered that the better man makes the game seems effortless.
Both Beckham and Rooney donned the Red Devils jersey and have a connection with Ronaldo but they are convinced Messi plays football like he only can. The Argentine behaves on the pitch like he is having fun most of the time. The way he brings the ball to the net is a sight to behold, according to Rooney.
"He just rolls them in, makes it so easy," Goal reported the former Manchester United captain as saying.
"I can't remember seeing Messi score when he has hit the ball as hard as he could ... Messi will torture you before he kills you. With Messi you just get the impression he is having more fun," added Rooney, who notably played with Ronaldo for five years at Old Trafford.
While he is convinced that his former teammate is ruthless and a killer when attacking the net, Rooney explained that Messi's natural talent serves as a defining edge for the Barcelona captain.
And the United hero made clear: "Those two have completely changed the game in terms of goalscoring numbers and I don't think they'll ever be matched."
Beckham, for his part, is in complete agreement with Rooney. The United legend observed that Messi's gameplay is at a higher level when compared to how Ronaldo plays. Both players though can be considered as juggernauts, he added.
Indeed, The Sun noted in a report that Messi and Ronaldo lorded over football in more than a decade. Apart from winning domestic and regional titles, the two GOAT candidates have dominated the Ballon d'Or award handed out in the last 12 years.
Already Messi has six whole Ronaldo boasts of five wins and they are expected to again claim the trophy before exiting the game.
It would seem that the two rivals are at par when overall achievement is factored in but for Beckham, the Argentine outclasses his Portuguese rival.
"He [Messi] is alone in his class as a player, it is impossible that there is another like him," Beckham was reported as saying.
It is clear, however, that Messi and Ronaldo still dominate the game and will likely do so in the next few years, he offered.
"He [Messi], like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not at his level, are both above the rest," said Beckham.
