Manchester City midfielder Rodri once named Lionel Messi the GOAT ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spanish midfielder is aware of the qualities of both superstars, having faced them multiple times on the pitch.

Rodri came up against La Pulga 14 times in his career to date, during the Argentinean’s time with Barcelona as well as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Spaniard registered just one win – Manchester City’s 2-1 victory over PSG in the 2021-22 Champions League Group stages.

Meanwhile, Rodri has faced Ronaldo 10 times in his career, winning four games and losing three. The Portuguese has managed five goals in those encounters.

Speaking after winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or in October last year, Rodri also outlined why Messi was more of a threat than Cristiano Ronaldo:

“Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, without any doubt. Cristiano has managed to match Messi without innate talent. But those of us who have played against them can see the difference,” said Rodri via beIn Sports.

He continued:

“We didn’t want Cristiano to step into the box because he was lethal there. But with Messi, the danger was everywhere on the pitch.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shown no signs of slowing down of late. The Portuguese currently plies his trade with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr. La Pulga, meanwhile, plays for MLS side Inter Miami.

How many Ballon d’Or have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won so far?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi added more stars to the Ballon d’Or race in the past two decades. The two players maintained a historic dominance on the award, with no other player winning the top prize from 2008 to 2017.

Ronaldo has lifted the Ballon d’Or five times in his career, while Messi has won it a record eight times. The Portuguese won the award for the first time as a Manchester United player in 2008. He lifted the Ballon d’Or four times as a Real Madrid man, in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Meanwhile, La Pulga won the award six times as a Barcelona player. His first win, incidentally, was the start of a record run, with the player winning four consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 2009 to 2012.

The Argentinean also won the award in 2015, and 2019 while he was at Camp Nou. Messi went on to lift the award with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021, and with Inter Miami in 2023.