Who is the greatest player of all-time?
It’s a question that many football fans have asked down the years. For the younger generation, the answer is usually either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
For the older generation, they may suggest that Diego Maradona or Pele were better.
In truth, it’s impossible to declare the ultimate GOAT because it’s so hard to compare different eras.
Nevertheless, Spanish outlet Marca has allowed fans to have their say in declaring the greatest footballer in history.
They set-up a voting World Cup to judge the 16 greatest players ever.
The winner?
Well, let’s take a look:
Round of 16
LIONEL MESSI (78%) vs (22%) Ferenc Puskas
Eusebio (17%) vs (83%) ALFREDO DI STEFANO
Franz Beckenbauer (17%) vs (83%) RONALDO
Michel Platini (8%) vs (92%) PELE
DIEGO MARADONA (60%) vs (40%) Ronaldinho
Lev Yashin (8%) vs (92%) JOHAN CRUYFF
ZINEDINE ZIDANE (82%) vs (18%) George Best
Paolo Maldini (27%) vs (73%) – CRISTIANO RONALDO
Quarter-finals
LIONEL MESSI (70%) vs (30%) Alfredro Di Stefano
RONALDO (53%) vs (47%) Pele
DIEGO MARADONA (67%) vs (33%) Johan Cryuff
Zinedine Zidane (44%) vs (56%) CRISTIANO RONALDO
Semi-finals
LIONEL MESSI (52%) vs (48%) Ronaldo
Diego Maradona (41%) vs (59%) CRISTIANO RONALDO
Third-place playoff
RONALDO (51%) vs (49%) Diego Maradona
Final
Lionel Messi (46%) vs (54%) CRISTIANO RONALDO
So, there we have it – Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT beating Messi in the final.
Messi may have one more Ballon d’Or to his name but winning Marca’s GOAT vote is definitely the bigger achievement…
Meanwhile, Brazilian Ronaldo comes in third with Maradona in fourth.
Plenty of fans will no doubt disagree with the results but that’s what makes football so great – it’s a game of opinions.
