NIGERIAN football legend Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has sparked heated reactions after choosing Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the long-running debate over who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Okocha made his position known during a podcast hosted by former Super Eagles star Mikel Obi, where he was asked to choose between the two football greats.
The former Bolton Wanderers and Paris Saint-Germain star said Messi is a better player than Ronaldo, although he praised the Portuguese forward’s exceptional goal-scoring ability, comparing his role to that of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
When Mikel asked him, “Messi or Ronaldo?” seeking his opinion on the contentious debate over who is better between the two football icons, Okocha replied: “Messi for me. Ronaldo is special, but he’s a goalscorer like Haaland. Messi is on another planet; he’s art. He was born to play football. I think Messi would get ill if he didn’t play football.”
Okocha’s response has since generated heated reactions among football lovers in Nigeria, particularly supporters of Messi and Ronaldo.
While Messi fans agreed with Okocha’s submission, Ronaldo supporters berated the Nigerian legend, arguing that he belittled Ronaldo by comparing him to Haaland.
Some Ronaldo fans took to social media to express their displeasure over Okocha’s comments.
For a social media user simply identified as Thomas, Okocha’s comment was disrespectful. He argued that Ronaldo had achieved more in football and should not be compared to the Norwegian striker.
He said: “At times, it pains me to see legends who witnessed Ronaldo trying to reduce him to an ordinary goal scorer. I keep saying it, you will hardly see anyone picking Ronaldo over Messi by disrespecting Messi.
“It is a disrespect to Ronaldo’s career for anyone to say he is just a goal scorer like Haaland.
“How would Okocha feel if anyone picked Ronaldo De Lima ahead of him based on him just being a dribbler?
“And before we say a word, they will tell us we don’t know football like them. Does this response show Okocha really knows football?
“And to Mikel Obi, who said there was never a debate but will always ask his guest to pick between the two of them. Is it a must to ask your guests? Can’t you host them by asking them to talk about either of the two without asking them to pick?”
Sharing similar sentiments, U.A. Obisike said Okocha’s comparison of Ronaldo with Haaland was misplaced.
“Ronaldo a goal scorer? Okocha is acting as if he started watching Ronaldo in the Saudi League. You fall on my hand! A goal scorer like Haaland still has the highest number of assists in the UCL (biggest club football competition) compared to the best playmaker,” he said.
For Oviawe Godson, preferring Messi was not an issue, but comparing Ronaldo to Haaland was inappropriate.
He argued that a five-time Ballon d’Or winner was on a different level and deserved respect for his achievements.
“Preferring Messi isn’t bad, but comparing Ronaldo to Haaland doesn’t make sense. A five-time Ballon d’Or winner is on a different level. It’s not about being an ex-player; it’s about respecting someone’s achievements.
“It’s just like saying Messi is just like Hazard, which is totally madness because Messi is just on another level to be compared to such,” he said.
Another social media user, Mars Kraft, also defended Okocha’s choice of Messi but criticised what he described as a lack of respect for Ronaldo.
He said: “Well, the fact he chose Messi was great. Everyone has their choice, but you don’t have the right to talk down on someone like that.
“How many times have you seen a player who picked Ronaldo and criticised Messi? How would you feel if someone said Messi is in the class of Eriksen and Bruno and De Bruyne?”
For Orr Ralph, the issue was part of what he described as a recurring pattern among Nigerian football legends who favour Messi over Ronaldo.
“I don’t know why many of the Nigerian footballers don’t like saying something good about the GOAT, Ronaldo. The other time it was Mikel Obi,” he said.
On the other hand, Messi fans agreed totally with Okocha’s submission, arguing that the Argentine is the GOAT because of his ability to influence different areas of the pitch.
Below are some of the reactions from Messi supporters following Okocha’s comments.
Kris E. Manuel said: “Lol, you rated Okocha, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Hazard, etc. for dribbling, entertainment, and mesmerizing moves in football.
“You rated Ozil, De Bruyne, Bruno, Fabregas, etc. for their creativity and assists.
“You rated Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan, R9, Pelé, Romario, Suarez, etc. for their goal-scoring abilities.
“There’s only one person who appears in each of these categories I mentioned. A man who is a dribbler, an entertainer, a midfield maestro, a pass master, an assist king, a creator, and also a goal scorer but you become so blind to admit he’s not the greatest?”
Ezenwa Frank said: “Nobody with a functional brain would ever choose Ronaldo over Messi, never!!!
“It’s only in Nigeria that people would come out to choose Ronaldo over Messi simply because he has scored more goals, but the same people now want to crucify Okocha for saying that Ronaldo is a goal scorer.”
Emeka Ezinwa also backed Okocha, saying the Nigerian legend was qualified to give his opinion as a former professional footballer.
“Okacha is right, and as a fellow legend and footballer, he is an expert on the subject. CR7 may be greater than Haaland, but it is not out of place to say he is a goal scorer like Haaland.
“Just like Harry Kane, Lewandowski, etc., it is not disrespectful but a correct illustration.
“I can comfortably compare Messi to Hazard. It’s not disrespectful because Messi is much ahead of Hazard but because they share a football skill—dribbling. Like CR7 and Haaland, the major similarity is scoring goals without much assistance, dribbling, or playmaking,” he said.
Victor Mmadu focused on the difference between the playing styles of the two superstars.
“The difference is clear; Messi is more of a playmaker + finisher. He creates and scores. Higher efficiency. Scoring Ratio 0.83. Ronaldo is more of a pure poacher/attacker. He takes more shots,” he said.
Fred Malpich defended Okocha, arguing that his experience and expertise as a former player and elite dribbler gave weight to his assessment.
“If it was from any other person, I would say, ‘Yeap, Cristiano has been disrespected,’ but it’s Jay Jay Okocha; the second best, if not the best, dribbler of all time. So he knows what he is talking about.
“He played the game; not just that, but he was a dribbler himself & a great passer of the ball.
“When he speaks, we should listen. Being the greatest footballer is more than just scoring goals, and that’s what Okocha was saying.
“You can also be the best because of practice, determination and the zeal to succeed, but Messi was a natural.
“He was born to play football, while Cristiano trained and worked hard to play football and mostly to score goals. With Messi, it was more than that.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Okocha said. Nothing! But Ronaldo fans, just like Bove said, are quick to twist the truth.”
Betral Smart said: “Every player is diminished when being compared to Messi. Ronaldo is a great player when compared to other players, but he is nothing before Messi.”
Musalic also defended Okocha, saying: “When players choose Ronaldo, his fans claim they have a better football IQ. When they choose Messi, Ronaldo fans claim the players are disrespectful.
“I know it’s painful, but what Okocha said is the fact: Ronaldo is nothing but just a goal scorer.”
The debate over who is the GOAT between Messi and Ronaldo has continued to divide football fans globally.
While many argue that Ronaldo is better because of his extraordinary goal-scoring abilities, others maintain that Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion, has the edge and should therefore be regarded as the Greatest of All Time.