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

Lionel Messi starred in a landmark night in Kansas City. At 38 years old, the captain of the Argentine National Team scored a hat trick to secure a strong 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 scoring the second goal of the night, the Inter Miami forward reached 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 brought the football world to its feet, even earning the admiration of one of Brazil’s greatest legends. “O Fenômeno” praised the Rosario star’s performance in the World Cup opener, saying that “Every time he steps onto the pitch, everything else becomes historic and elegant.”

The former striker from Rio de Janeiro had no hesitation in placing the Argentine captain at the very top in the history of the sport with a forceful statement: “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 arguments supporting that claim are proven 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,” declared the former Inter Milan player.

After receiving the Most Valuable Player of the Match award (MVP) against Algeria, Lionel Messi picked up the gauntlet and returned the praise to the Brazilian legend. After the match, the Argentine star downplayed the numbers and highlighted the greatness of his colleague by saying: “Ronaldo, of the players I saw, was one of the greatest, and he’s not first, so it remains just a statistic.”

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