Football legend Lothar Matthäus picks Messi over Ronaldo in latest GOAT debate

Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Portugal and Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo are widely regarded as the two greatest footballers of all time, dominating world football for more than a decade and collecting a combined 13 Ballon d’Or awards.

While the global debate over who deserves the GOAT title continues, the two icons have rarely criticized one another publicly. That hasn’t stopped other football legends from weighing in — and the latest to share his take is German and Inter Milan icon Lothar Matthäus.

Matthäus, the 1990 Ballon d’Or winner, made it clear he favors one superstar over the other — a view sure to spark reactions among fans.

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“I am a fan of Messi because of his style. Ronaldo has more power and is physically stronger. Messi is smarter. If Ronaldo makes a short entertainment with Messi, it’s a long entertainment. And for this, I prefer Messi more. He has been more important for soccer in the last 15 years,” Matthäus said, as quoted by The Telegraph.

🗣️ Lothar Matthaus: “Diego was the best footballer in my time. We were like Messi and Ronaldo.

(But) they are not talking to each other. They don’t make parties together after the game. But Diego and me — we had many private moments and we made parties after the game too” pic.twitter.com/jLjLNjloBK

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) November 17, 2025

Despite Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance well into the latter stages of their careers, Matthäus himself thrived in an era when football was far more physical. His fiercest rival at the time was Argentine great Diego Maradona, whom he consistently battled for top billing as the best of his generation.

Maradona remains one of football’s most iconic figures, and Matthäus believes the Argentine was the standout player of their era — after himself.

“Diego was the best soccer player of my generation. Of course, after me. We had a soccer friendship. We were in those days like Messi and Ronaldo. The rivalry makes them great players. Diego and I were rivals on the pitch. We were fighting for our teams and country. Diego made me bigger and vice versa. We profited from each other,” Matthäus added.

While some may argue that Matthäus overstates his influence, his résumé speaks for itself. He is widely regarded as one of Germany’s greatest players, winning the 1990 Ballon d’Or, captaining Germany to the 1990 World Cup title, and earning six Bundesliga crowns and a UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich. He also led Inter Milan to a Serie A title and the 1990–91 UEFA Cup.

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