Wright-Phillips Declares Messi the Superior Player, Says Ronaldo Is “Just a Scorer”

|By Babatunji Wusu

Former Manchester City forward Bradley Wright-Phillips has reignited the long-running Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, firmly declaring Inter Miami star Lionel Messi as the superior footballer ahead of Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Wright-Phillips argued that Messi brings far more to the pitch than goals, insisting that the Argentinian icon’s all-round quality sets him apart from Ronaldo.

“It’s not possible to be the best player in the world being just a scorer,” he said when asked whether Ronaldo should be considered the greatest in football history. “Ronaldo? No, come on. Are you one of those people who thinks Ronaldo is better than Messi? For me, it always has to do with the eye test.”

He added that the best players must possess a level of artistry and influence beyond statistics: “I think the best player in the world has to look like Messi, has to look like Zidane. There has to be something else there.”

Both Messi, 38, and Ronaldo, 40, are approaching the twilight of their legendary careers, having collected multiple Ballon d’Or titles between them and dominated global football for nearly two decades.