The discussion whether who is the greatest soccer player of all time seems far from over, even more with the disruption of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who dominated the scene for the last two decades. It was the turn for Mikel Arteta to choose his pick, and the Arsenal coach was sure about it.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Arteta was asked “Who is your favorite footballer to watch?”, and the Spaniard didn’t even flinch: “It’s always been Messi, I can’t deny it. For me, and my three sons is exactly the same. Something that we have been really lucky to have the opportunity for that many years to experience, in my opinion, the best player of all times“
The interviewer pressed Arteta on his statement, mentioning names like Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Arsenal boss stood firm, saying: “For me it has to be, because the comparison of how much I watched of Messi and others.., the difference is huge. So for me, it has to be him.”
Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greatest goal scorers in soccer history. However, Arteta’s pick says a lot about how the Argentine can seamlessly adapt to a playmaker role, making him an even more entertaining player to watch on the pitch.
Arsenal player Bukayo Saka disagrees with his coach
Competing at the top level of soccer and performing superbly for nearly 20 years is something only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have achieved. This is why the next generation of young soccer stars will continue to debate who the true GOAT is.
For example, Arsenal player and young star Bukayo Saka has a different opinion compared to his coach, Arteta. “Cristiano Ronaldo was my idol growing up. He wore—still wears—the number 7. It was a dream come true for me to be given the number 7, and I’m trying to achieve some of the things he’s done, especially for my club,” Saka said in a recent Amazon Prime Video Sport interview.
Nowadays, many football players express their desire to wear the same number as their childhood idols. The truth is, Messi and Ronaldo’s influence and inspiration for younger generations are far from over.