“They are saying it in bad faith” – When Marco Van Basten claimed fans picking Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi ‘know nothing about football’

When Marco Van Basten picked between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. (All images from Getty)

Dutch football great Marc

o van Basten once claimed that anyone who thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi knows nothing about football. The Ronaldo vs Messi debate has been going on for almost two decades now with both superstars boasting millions of fans.

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have achieved legendary status with their sheer number of goals and assists as well as team and individual honors. They share a total of 13 Ballon d’Ors between themselves which speaks volumes about their unparalleled achievements.

Footballers are often split in their opinions regarding the two but Marco van Basten had a very firm opinion regarding who is better. The former Netherlands international, who won three Ballon d’Ors before his early retirement at the age of 28, insisted that Messi is well ahead of Ronaldo.

Van Basten went on to state that those who believe Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi do not understand football. The former Ajax and AC Milan striker said in 2022, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

“Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi know nothing about football, or they are saying it in bad faith.”

Van Basten added:

“Messi is one of a kind. Impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years. As a kid, he fell into the football genius pot.”

Despite picking Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo, Van Basten claimed that he does not consider the Argentine superstar as one of the top three players of all time. He named Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff as the three best players of all time. The Dutchman stated:

“Pele, [Diego] Maradona and [Johan] Cruyff are for me the three greatest players in history. As a kid I wanted to be like Cruyff. He was my friend. I miss him. Pele and Maradona were also incredible.”

“Messi is also a great player, but Maradona always had more personality in a team. Messi is not the one who puts himself at the front to go to war,” Van Basten added.

Messi and Ronaldo have scored a total of 843 and 905 goals in their illustrious careers so far while providing 375 and 255 assists respectively (via messivsronaldo.app).

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard picks between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Liverpool great Steven Gerrard recently claimed that he would pick Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo under any circumstances. The two have divided the world of football over the years but Gerrard revealed that he admires Messi a lot more.

Speaking on The Greatest Game with Jamie Carragher podcast in March 2024, the former England captain said:

“There are certain players who are on a different level to anyone else out there, Messi and Ronaldo.”

The now Al-Etiifaq manager added:

“But Ronaldo doesn’t get in my team. I am more about what you are going to do for the team. What are we going to achieve together? Ronaldo will win you things but I am more about a team player than an individual player, so I’ll always go down that road.”

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both in their late thirties and ply their trade for Inter Miami and Al-Nassr respectively.