Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo feels like a debate older than time itself.

Rumour has it that Queen Victoria used to calculate their expected goals on an abacus and that Stonehenge was an attempt to communicate with the stars to ask which player is better.

Don't worry, my history knowledge isn't actually terrible, but the moral of the story is that supporters have been hotly debating which player has the upper hand in the GOAT debate for over a decade.

Messi vs Ronaldo debate

Whether it's through the medium of university studies or YouTube compilations, you can bet that any and every line of argument in the Messi vs Ronaldo has been explored in one way or another.

And in the end, most fans come to the conclusion that we should appreciate both Ballon d'Or-winning geniuses while we have the pleasure of watching them and that's certainly an earnest goal.

However, as much as we might subscribe to that mantra at the bottom of our hearts, that doesn't mean that we're immune to getting suckered in to the conversation whenever it raises its head.

"OLE OUT NOW! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" (RANT) (Football Terrace)

A light-hearted look at the debate

But don't worry, dear reader, because we want to offer you a cute and cushy middle ground where we will indeed compare Ronaldo and Messi, just without any semblance of seriousness.

'How?' I hear you ask. Well, it's that time of year when the latest footballing video games hit the shelves and it's long overdue that someone broke the software in the interest of the GOAT debate.

Yes, that's right, we're talking about the annual, crazy ritual of creating a wild simulation that imagines what would happen if an entire team of Messis played an entire team of Ronaldos.

Team of Messis vs team of Ronaldos

Courtesy of YouTuber 'Rich Leigh', every football fan's favourite fever dream has once again become a reality with FIFA 22 proving the arena for 11 Messi and 11 Ronaldos to do battle.

Will Messi's superior overall rating create a stronger attack or will Ronaldo's superior height and strength make for better defenders and goalkeepers? These, friends, are life's biggest questions.

And with the game going all the way to extra time and featuring no less than 12 goals, the clash of the GOATs is just as goal crazy and generally trippy as you'd imagine, so be sure to check it out:

Well that escalated quickly! Geez!

So close... until it wasn't

By the time the final whistle sounded on a 4-4 draw, we were ready to type with sheer footballing poetry that Ronaldo and Messi are just so good that their all-star clash was obviously a dead heat.

How perfect, how fitting for the aforementioned philosophy that Ronaldo and Messi are just so damn good that we should jettison the debate and simply enjoy them that the pair proved inseparable.

But alas, extra time happened...

Whatever wires and software were twitching away in the EA Sports database for Ronaldo to romp into an 8-4 lead during an additional 30 minutes is beyond us, but damn does that ruin the poetry!

An 8-4 win for Ronaldo

Ok, being serious for a second, it's no more than a harmless piece of fun seeing a video game imagine cloned versions of the best players in the world slugging it out on YouTube.

But don't pretend that the thought experiment behind it isn't intriguing because as correct as the idea that we should appreciate them both really is, don't pretend as though the debate doesn't lure you in.

ENTER GIVEAWAY

Either that or... is anybody out there? Anyone??? Please??!?