The chicken and the egg must be feeling pretty put out these days, given they were once the hottest debate in town and now rank a paltry second on the list. That's because no one really cares who came first anymore – it's all about the GOAT – or more precisely who is the Greatest Of All Time in the football world: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, reader, you've probably already said in your head or out loud which of the duo you prefer, and there's no doubt you can come up with valid reasons for both – Messi is a gift from the heavens, Ronaldo has a huge amount of talent and sheer force of will impossible to match.
Both have smashed record after record, scored goal after goal. The stats don't lie, and no doubt some people base their decision on who their GOAT is purely on the stats and who scores the most goals, penalties, free kicks, wins the most trophies on a personal level.
There are of course also those who think that Messi is the GOAT because he does things with a football that simply aren't right. You look at the Barcelona player time after time and wonder how the hell he just made something out of utterly nothing and produced an amazing piece of skill, usually leading to a goal or an assist.
Likewise, Ronaldo just gets the job done. It might not be as fancy at times or as easy on the eye so to speak, but he scores a phenomenal amount of goals, and has dragged both Manchester United and Real Madrid to trophies – especially when it comes to the Champions League in the last few years. He is a force of nature, and as feared as Messi is, no one wants to play Ronaldo, who can destroy you just as effectively, but many (not those who saw his overhead kick against Juventus, granted) may argue in a different way.
You have to imagine that come the end of their careers, they'll have similar records in terms of goals scored and while at one time it seemed impossible, Ballon d'Ors won – but the sticking point, and one that fans love to wheel out is what Messi and indeed Ronaldo have done at international level.
There are some Argentinian fans who argue Messi is not even their greatest player ever, let alone the footballing GOAT. Granted, they are comparing him to Diego Maradona, but the point remains. They feel he's never really done enough on the international stage to warrant the tag.
There's little doubt he was the reason Argentina managed to get to the World Cup final back in 2014, yet his performance in the final was lacking and even he looked embarrassed to be awarded Player of the Tournament as Germany's players were heading up the stairs to get their winners medals. The argument may well be harsh – Argentina are a side who on paper, promise so much, and yet fail time and time again to deliver in finals and on the biggest of stages.
Messi may well look at the likes of Gonzalo Higuain when it comes to missed chances, both on the field during a game and in a wider context, but they have the likes of Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi who aren't making the line up regularly, or in the case of the latter, the squad at all, and there have been whispers Messi has a hand in both of those decisions – and plenty more when it comes to the national side.
Catering to your biggest name – possibly even the biggest name on the planet – makes sense to a degree, but Messi may well look back at his international career and wonder what could have been if he had been more flexible – Ronaldo may be known as the egomaniac of the two, but make no mistake, Messi is just as driven, just as forceful and wants to win just as much. He just hides it far better on and off the field.
Both superstars were in the same boat when it came to international issues – Ronaldo had just as many issues, coming at the end of the Golden Era of a crop of Portuguese players and seeing an unfancied Greece side pip them to the Euros back in 2004, and they'd not even come close since.
That was until 2016, when they were huge outsiders, yet managed to get to the final – with Ronaldo taking great glee in beating Gareth Bale's Wales side to face France – and then lifting the trophy after an Eder goal.
Now that can hardly be considered as Ronaldo's peak in terms of his international efforts when you consider his outstanding efforts against Sweden in 2013, and indeed his semi-final performance of the Euros in 2016 – his most memorable moment from the final game was a moth who took a shine to him before he went off injured.
His behaviour on the touchline however and his sheer desperation to cheer his side on and desire for them to win, hopping about on one leg, showed how much the trophy meant to him, and he did play a huge part in getting them there. He, during that competition realised one thing Messi has not – the team is more important than any individual, and it's about far more than having who you think are the 11 best players on the field that will make you look good and win trophies – and he finally won a European trophy.
Gone are the arguments that he can't win anything internationally – which are still hanging over Messi's head. Of course, the Euros are much like the Copa America for Messi. Neither rival can win the other, and while it’s certainly a worthy trophy, it's not the World Cup.
That's why this summer is arguably the biggest chance of all for Messi to secure his place in history and win the World Cup with his national side. Ronaldo has little chance with Portugal, but of course people said that before the Euros, so never say never.
Both are on the wrong side of 30 now, meaning it could well be their last chance to do so, and while they battle it out for the title of the GOAT, there's a certain Mo Salah of Egypt who has been making waves this season – and who has already secured the love and devotion of his country by scoring the penalty to send them to the World Cup in Russia.
Salah is still so young, and could well snatch the Ballon d'Or from one of Messi or Ronaldo this coming time, and while the Champions League is always a huge factor when it comes to the votes, it may well come down to just who performs in the World Cup – and we may see another player put a claim to being the GOAT of the future, or one of our current heroes take the title once and for all.
