Many believe the 2022 World Cup win has given Lionel Messi an edge over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. But does Messi overshadow Ronaldo in every other aspect of the GOAT debate? Arsenal legend and veteran defender William Gallas thinks not. Gallas recently sat down with Essentially Sports for an exclusive interview and elaborated on a couple of areas where the Portuguese have an edge over the Argentine. Anyhow, he said it is challenging for players to replicate Messi and Ronaldo’s contributions to the sport. Nonetheless, he believes the younger generation could carry the legacy of a similar rivalry forward.

Williams Gallas has defended Ronaldo and Messi during his Arsenal stint and national duty with the French team. Though he marked CR7 quite a few times, he fell short of marking Leo Messi due to significantly lesser play time.

William Gallas details where Cristiano Ronaldo gets an edge over Lionel Messi

In his interview with Essentially Sports, William Gallas was quizzed to reveal who among Ronaldo and Messi was troublesome to defend. “I had more opportunities to mark Ronaldo than Messi. I only played against Messi two or three times. The first time, he was injured in the first 20 minutes. The second time was in a friendly between France and Argentina and the third time was for Arsenal against Barcelona. I got injured after 40 minutes, so it’s difficult for me to judge properly who was harder to play against,” Gallas said. And then he voiced his opinions on CR7.

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“I prefer Ronaldo’s style. He’s a hard-working player and kept in shape his whole career. Ronaldo had success everywhere he went. Messi went to PSG and didn’t have the same success,” Gallas added. CR7 has notably won the domestic title and the UEFA Champions League title with both Manchester United and Real Madrid. Furthermore, he also won the Serie A title with Juventus. Leo Messi, on the other hand, failed to win the UCL with PSG, even though he won the domestic league. Anyhow, when asked if Messi’s 2022 World Cup win gave him an edge over his rival, William Gallas chose silence. Thereafter, he picked two potential successors for Messi and Ronaldo.

William Gallas expects the next generation to mirror the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry

Just when we thought soccer wouldn’t ever witness something like the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, Kylian Mbappe started his meteoric rise after France’s 2018 World Cup win. At the club level, Mbappe remained PSG’s attacking centerpiece despite the presence of Messi and Neymar. While Mbappe continued his top form as an attacker, Erling Haaland entered the scene. Haaland shattered Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record to net a record 36 goals in his inaugural Premier League season with Manchester City. He completed that season by winning a continental treble.

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Hence, many now regard Mbappe and Haaland as the next Messi and Ronaldo. William Gallas is no outlier. “They’re [Messi & Ronaldo] both amazing players. It will be difficult to see that standard again. Maybe we’ll see it with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland,” William Gallas told Essentially Sports. What’s your take on Gallas’ views? Sound off in the comments below.

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