Over the last 15 years, the football world has belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Plenty of footballers are now making their way to first-team football and raised on this rivalry.
Many supporters have had to pick sides regarding which player they stand behind. For West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice spoke to Goal (via Paris Fans), the choice is a simple one, it’s the Argentine attacker.
“I don’t think we will ever see a player like that again,” Rice said. “You know what, it’s such a difficult question because obviously, what he and Cristiano Ronaldo did is a natural phenomenon.”
“Nobody can ever do it again. Messi, I feel like what he does with a football, he’s just special, and I don’t think we’ll ever see a player like that again.”
Both these players are entering the twilight of their careers, and while they’re still playing at a high level, Rice believes that there will be no other type of rivalry in football like people have seen between Ronaldo and Messi.
Messi’s teammate on Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian Mbappé, will be seen by many as a player that will need to carry the torch when Messi retires, which will be happening soon.
Another player that could be joining the 23-year-old is Erling Haaland, so these two players will be hoping to maintain that elite level that Messi, and Ronaldo for that matter, have set over the last decade.
