Manchester United’s €50million defender De Ligt Once Picked Messi Over Cristiano Ronaldo

During his Ajax days, Manchester United’s new arrival from Bayern Munich, Matthijs de Ligt had once chosen Lionel Messi over his former Juventus teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. However, since then, the Dutch defender’s take on the never-settling debate has changed over the years after sharing the pitch and playing together with the Portuguese icon at Juventus.

The never-ending Greatest of all-time debate (GOAT) debate, between Messi and Ronaldo is a testament to their long-standing rivalry. In 2019, during an interview alongwith his former teammate Frenkie De Jong, de Ligt was asked to pick his choice between two icons of football, to which the defender answered, “I’ll go with Messi.”

Later in that year, the centre-back joined Juventus in the summer and played 68 matches alongside the Al-Nassr attacker in Turin. During his stint in Italy from 2019-2021, De Ligt labelled the Former Real Madrid icon as the ‘best of his generation’ in 2020. 

“Cristiano is the best of his generation and a big example for young players. I try to improve myself by looking at him in training, as he trains with so much intensity,” He said to the Italian outlet Tutosport in an interview.  

In 2022, the 25-year-old left the Serie A outfit to sign for Bayern Munich until 2027. The former Ajax centre-back following the footsteps of the five-time Ballon Dor winner, has moved to Old Trafford to reunite with his former Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag, on a five-year term with the Premier League side, Manchester United.