Ronaldo bowed to Messi: “He’s the best of all time” | OneFootball

Lionel Messi starred in a crowning night in Kansas City. At 38 years old, the captain of the Argentina national team scored a hat trick to secure a solid World Cup debut, while also reaching a historic milestone by equaling Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in the history of the competition. By netting his second goal of the night, the Inter Miami forward matched the 15 goals Ronaldo Nazário scored across four World Cup editions, only to surpass him a few minutes later with his third strike.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward once again had the football world at his feet, even earning the admiration of one of Brazil’s greatest legends. “O Fenômeno” praised the Rosario star’s performance in his World Cup opener, stating that “Every time he steps onto the pitch, everything else becomes historic and elegant.”

The former striker from Rio de Janeiro did not hesitate to place the Argentine captain at the very top of the sport’s history with a forceful verdict: “It’s time for the world to stop hiding and accept the fact that he is the greatest player of all time.” For Ronaldo, the evidence for that claim is on display every time the No. 10 takes the field. “He keeps delivering every season and at the World Cup. And yet, there are still doubts about him. It is an unforgettable and historic night that will go down in the history books forever,” said the former Inter Milan player.

After receiving the award for the match’s most valuable player (MVP) against Algeria, Lionel Messi returned the compliment to the Brazilian legend. Once the match was over, the Argentine star played down the numbers and highlighted his colleague’s greatness, saying: “Ronaldo, of the players I saw, was one of the greatest, and he isn’t first, so in the end it’s just a statistic.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.