Zlatan Ibrahimovic once revealed his brutally honest verdict in the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has chosen between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Zlatan Ibrahimovic once outlined the difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary Swede is also one of the finest players in the history of his country although the superstar duo were always a league apart.

The Argentinean and the Portuguese had been trying to outdo each other for close to two decades now. Lionel Messi currently plies his trade in the MLS with Inter Miami and recently won the Supporters’ Shield with the Herons.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, is in Saudi Arabia, playing for Al-Nassr. The 39-year-old recently crossed the 900-goal barrier in his career and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Speaking in 2016, as relayed later by GiveMeSport, Ibrahimovic insisted that the world might never see a player like Messi again.

“I think Messi is one of a kind. What he’s doing, I don’t know if we will see another player do the things that he does. It is different [with Ronaldo] because he is the result of hard training. It is not natural,” said Ibrahimovic.

The Swedish forward shared the pitch with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner during their time together at Barcelona. Lionel Messi was outstanding for the Catalans before leaving as a free agent in 2021.

After a two-season stay with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – where he won the Ligue 1 – the 37-year-old moved across the Atlantic in 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, joined Juventus in 2018 following a highly successful stint with Real Madrid.

After a three-season stay in Turin, the 39-year-old opted for a second coming at Manchester United. That move didn’t pan out as expected and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ultimately moved to the Middle East in December 2022.

How have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo performed this season?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have been in fine form this campaign so far. The MLS season is in the final phase and the Argentinean has registered 19 goals and 12 assists from 21 games for Inter Miami so far.

Elsewhere, the Portuguese forward has appeared eight goals and three assists from nine games across competitions for Al-Nassr this season. His team are third in the league after six games, four points behind Al Hilal at the top.

While both superstars are arguably in the final phase of their careers, it is hard to deduce when they will hang up their boots. However, there is a possibility that Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could mark the end of their careers at the grand stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.