One of the great lingering debates in world football is the GOAT - determining who the greatest of all time is from a range of legendary figures through the various eras.
Ask anyone who the best footballer is and many names will be floated: Diego Maradona, Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Oliver Kahn, Gianluigi Buffon - the list goes on.
However, the GOAT discussion over the past two decades or so has invariably gravitated towards two iconic veterans: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
According to GOAL, the duo has been at the forefront of global football dominance with an astounding 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them. The Argentine won seven times while the Portuguese earned five.
Even remarkable achievements like Messi's triumph at the 2022 World Cup with La Albiceleste or the multitude of goal-scoring records set by the 38-year-old Al-Nassr captain have been unable to settle the debate conclusively.
Zidane weighs in on GOAT
Recent footage has emerged featuring former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, recounting a conversation he had with iconic French player, Zidane, regarding the football GOAT.
Per @CristianoXtra on Twitter, the Frenchman stated that his compatriot candidly expressed a belief that Ronaldo surpassed his long-standing rival, Messi, and even outshone Zizou himself.
Evra stated: "When Ronaldo signed for Madrid, I remember Zizou [saying] Ronaldo is better than Messi, and he is even better than [Zidane]."
This mirrors Zidane's previous comments on where Messi and Ronaldo stand in the debate on the greatest footballer the world has ever seen, per Sportskeeda.
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