Action Images via Reuters / Alex Morton
USMNT legend Landon Donovan has a different take to most when it comes to the age-old Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi GOAT debate.
Donovan is the United States’ joint all-time top scorer (57 goals, level with Clint Dempsey) and has made more appearances (157) than any player in the national team’s history, except Cobi Jones (164 caps).
It’s fair to say the 44-year-old knows a thing or two about football - or soccer, depending on your location.
Now working as a pundit, Donovan is among a group of footballers who competed against both Ronaldo and Messi during his career.
Most players - and indeed fans - hold strong opinions when it comes to the Ronaldo vs Messi debate.
Tottenham legend Son Heung-min, who currently plays for Los Angeles FC, recently went viral for admitting Messi is probably the GOAT despite his personal preference for Ronaldo.
Donovan's Response to Ronaldo vs Messi Question
The Late Run
Donovan, however, isn’t prepared to pick a winner after being left astounded by the pair of them after sharing the same football pitch.
Asked to pick his GOAT, Donovan said on The Late Run podcast: “Both. Why do I have to pick one of them? I’ll take either. I don’t have to pick one. I’ll pick both. Why would you choose?”
On facing Ronaldo, Donovan said: “We played at the Rose Bowl and I think he got subbed on. What people don’t realise about Cristiano is how big he is. When you stand against him, as a smaller guy like me, I’m like: ‘What?! This guy looks like a god, it’s insane.’
“He would get the ball and when he decided to turn it on, physically, he was on a different planet. He was running by good athletes - boom, right by them, like they weren’t even there. I was like ‘this guy’s crazy’. That was in his prime. Physically I’d never seen anything like it. I’d never seen anything like that on a soccer field.”
Action Images / Carl Recine
Donovan then explained what it feels like to face legendary Argentine forward Messi.
He added: “And Messi… we played Messi in my 100th game in New York New Jersey in a friendly. We heard before the game he wasn’t going to play, but as part of the contract he had to play at least 45 minutes, so he was p***ed. He did not want to be there.
“There was this play in the middle of the field, I will never forget this. There were four of us high-level pros. He gets the ball and he starts dribbling, and all four of us were thinking ‘just smash him and end the play’.
REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci
“We couldn’t believe that a pro could do that because if you just want to end a play, you end a play, it’s over. You just smash the guy, it’s over. You couldn’t foul him, you just couldn’t foul him, it’s insane.”
Watch Messi’s dribble against the USA below:
Donovan concluded: “I’ll take either of them on my team.”