Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Piers Morgan’s GOAT verdict sparks debate

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from International football on Monday drawing a curtain on his glorious chapter after reaching the finals of FIFA World Cup.

Messi’s sudden announcement has once again reignited the ultimate GOAT debate. When it comes between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the football community is still divided. Most think that Messi has the edge in this never-ending debate over Ronaldo as the former has triumphed one FIFA World Cup and two Copa America titles. The latter one has only one major title of 2016 UEFA European Championship.

However, the renowned UK broadcaster Piers Morgan has come up with bizarre rationale to settle the debate about who is the GOAT. According to Morgan, Ronaldo is the all time greatest player based on scoring more goals than Messi.

Taking to X, Morgan posted, “Breaking: Lionel Messi retires from international football, after scoring 125 goals for the Argentina national team, placing him second on the list of highest international goalscorers.”

"Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 146 goals for the Portugal national team, the highest figure in the history of football at the international level. This settles the debate over who is the best player in history."

Morgan’s verdict sparked debate on the internet as Messi’s fans came to slam him for his verdict.

One user wrote, “You're not even serious, this is screaming inferiority complex.”

Another wrote, “This isn't about debate sir. His retirement isn't the time to bring this comparison. Congratulations is all that matters at the moment.”

The third one commented, “Messi has won the World Cup, appeared in 3 World Cup finals, has more ballon dors, more golden boots, etc etc etc. the list goes on. Ronaldo doesn’t come near Messi.”

“Terrible take, Piers. Messi, at the ages of 35 & 39, produced two back-to-back World Cup carry-jobs of the likes only his fellow Argentine compatriot Diego Maradona enters into the discussion for the greatest World Cup carry-jobs ever. Messi scored an astonishing 15 goals with 7 assists across the 2022 & 2026 World Cups,” another one opposed Morgan’s take.

Lionel Messi confirmed his retirement from international football, revealing that he originally decided to close his Argentina chapter just two days after the heartbreaking defeat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. He chose to delay the public announcement to support his father, whose health was failing before his passing on August 8.