Both fans and commentators have differing views on the ongoing controversy over the greatest football player of all time, which continues to spark heated debates. While many others favor names like Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly said that he is the front-runner in this discussion. Mentioning anyone else Messi or Maradona in this discussion is frequently met with opposition in Argentina, a country that holds football in high regard. However, renowned Argentine goalie Hugo Gatti has never avoided voicing provocative views.
Gatti has made headlines in the past with his illustrious career, which included playing over 350 games for Boca Junior from 1976 to 1988 and earning 18 caps for the national team. He has startled many by claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo has “always been better” than Messi, despite Messi’s world cup success and his record eight Ballon d’Or awards. He previously referred to Pele as the height of football glory.
In response to Ronaldo’s audacious assertions, Gatti stated in an interview that although Ronaldo’s self-evaluation may appear exaggerated, his accomplishments cannot be disregarded. It’s common knowledge,” he said, “that there isn’t, and never will be, someone like Pele in my opinion. Pele is distinctive and unlike anything else. Despite his recent outstanding play, Cristiano, Maradona, and Messi are not as amazing as Pele.
“What he says holds weight because he has been a champion of everything, scored goals, and played for the most prestigious clubs in the world,” Gatti said, acknowledging Ronaldo’s incredible record as a champion and prolific goal scorer. Cristiano is hardly the greatest player in history, but he has more ego than most. I rank Pele as the greatest football legend, followed by Johan Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Alfredo Di Stefano.
Interestingly, Gatti, who still has a great deal of respect for Ronaldo, stressed, “No one is like Pele, and no one will ever be like him. Pele outperformed Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldinho, Cristiano, and Maradona put together. Gatti’s declaration has a lot of weight because Pele is still the only football player to accomplish the incredible achievement of winning three World Cups.
But Gatti had not yet made his most controversial claim. The 80-year-old made it clear that Ronaldo is superior to Messi, both now and in the past. “Cristiano was and remains superior to Messi. That’s the truth. Messi is in a so-called “country club” setting, but his current style of football is at a different pace even though it may not be on par. He went on to say that he wished more players had Ronaldo’s mentality because he believed it would encourage others to have greater aspirations. “I’ve never witnessed Messi talk so candidly or take such chances. That’s what makes Ronaldo unique,” Gatti said.
Despite being deep into their careers, both players remain driven and strive for new achievements. Messi is hoping to make it to the 2026 World Cup finals, while Ronaldo is aiming for 1,000 career goals. The argument over who is the greatest football player in history continues even though their playing days are coming to an end.
