Want to feel old?Xavi Hernandez has left Barcelona. Andres Iniesta is 33-years-old. And today, Lionel Messi turned 30.It seems like yesterday, not 10 years ago, that Messi was racing through Getafe’s defence to score that Maradona-esque goal at the Camp Nou.Messi is a different player now than he was back then but there’s no question he will continue to entertain for years to come.Just look at Cristiano Ronaldo, who is coming off one of the most successful seasons of his career at the age of 32.Ronaldo’s triumphs last season, in which he reached his 600th career goal and helped Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double, gave more support to the argument that the Portuguese is the greatest of all time.
Messi vs Ronaldo
Everyone has been involved in a Messi or Ronaldo debate. In the pub, in the office or, as the Champions League’s official Twitter account found out, on Twitter.
Wishing Messi a happy 30th birthday, the official account for Europe’s elite competition asked fans if the Argentinian is “the greatest?”
Cue a flurry of defiant responses from Cristiano Ronaldo’s supporters.
Check out the tweet, and the responses, below.
Messi: 'Ronaldo is phenomenal'
While many would like to imagine that Messi and Ronaldo share ill-feelings to one another in an attempt to portray their rivalry as some sort of heated battle, that’s simply not the case.
Earlier this month, Messi labelled the Real Madrid star “a phenomenal player”.
"No, I have always said it -- and [Ronaldo] from his part -- that he is armed with the presence of us both," Messi told Tencent Sports, per ESPN.
“We try to achieve the best every year for our team, and what is said outside of that I don't think is very important.
“He is a phenomenal player with a lot of quality.
“All the world knows, and that is why he is one of the best of the world."
Instead of asking which one is better, we should simply appreciate them both.
Ronaldo is the favourite to tie Messi’s record of five Ballon d’Ors following his brilliant 2016-17 captain.
As well as scoring his 600th career goal, the former Manchester United star became the first player to score in three Champions League finals in Real’s 4-1 win over Juventus.
Ronaldo’s excellence has provided Messi with all the motivation he needs to dominate next season.