Okocha, while acknowledging and praising Ronaldo’s goal-scoring ability, noted that Messi is an “art” and from “another planet”.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has set tongues wagging on social media after wading into the age-old, contentious debate over who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking during a recent podcast hosted by another ex-Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi, the Nigerian football legend picked the Argentine star over his Portuguese counterpart.
According to the former Bolton and PSG star, Messi is the better player when assessed across all aspects of the game, adding that he is “from another planet”.
Okocha, however, praised Ronaldo’s goal-scoring ability and compared the 41-year-old to Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland.
When asked who was better between the duo, Okocha said: “Messi for me. Ronaldo is special, but he’s a goalscorer like Haaland. Messi is on another planet; he’s art. He was born to play football. I think Messi would get ill if he didn’t play football.”
His choice divided opinion among football fans, particularly Nigerians. While Messi fans agreed with Okocha’s submission, Ronaldo’s fans disagreed and berated him for disrespecting the Al-Nassr forward.
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A netizen identified as U.A. Obisike said: “Ronaldo a goal scorer? Okocha is acting as if he started watching Ronaldo in the Saudi League. You fall my hand! A goal scorer like Haaland still has the highest number of assists in the UCL (the biggest club football competition) compared to the best playmaker.”
Sharing similar sentiments, another internet user, Mars Kraft, argued: “Well, the fact he chose Messi was great. Everyone has their choice, but you don’t have the right to talk down on someone like that. How many times have you seen a player who picked Ronaldo and criticised Messi? How would you feel if someone said Messi is in the class of Eriksen and Bruno and De Bruyne?”
Oviawe Godson added: “Preferring Messi isn’t bad, but comparing Ronaldo to Haaland doesn’t make sense. A five-time Ballon d’Or winner is on a different level. It’s not about being an ex-player; it’s about respecting someone’s achievements. It’s just like saying Messi is just like Hazard, which is total madness because Messi is on too high a level to be compared to him.”
However, another Nigerian, Emeka Ezinwa, agreed with the former midfielder, saying: “The difference is clear; Messi is more of a playmaker + finisher. He creates and scores. Higher efficiency. Scoring Ratio 0.83. Ronaldo is more of a pure poacher/attacker. He takes more shots. Scoring Ratio 0.74. Okocha is very right!”
Ezinwa backed him up further, adding: “Okocha is right, and as a fellow legend and footballer, he is an expert on the subject. CR7 may be greater than Haaland, but it is not out of place to say he is a goalscorer like Haaland.
“Just like Harry Kane, Lewandowski, etc., it is not disrespectful but a correct illustration.
“I can comfortably compare Messi to Hazard. It’s not disrespectful because Messi is much further ahead of Hazard, but because they share a football skill—dribbling. Like CR7 and Haaland, the major similarity is scoring goals without much assistance, dribbling, or playmaking.”
