Many would consider either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to be the greatest players to grace LaLiga, and rightly so. The duo have 12 Ballon d’Or awards between them, and their rivalry was arguably at its peak during the nine seasons they shared in Spain’s premier division.
Antoine Griezmann, however, believes there is another player who deserves the ‘GOAT’ title when it comes to LaLiga.
Antoine Griezmann Snubs Lionel Messi As He Picks Another Barcelona Legend As LaLiga GOAT
Griezmann was asked several questions in a fun session with ESPN (via SportBible), where he picked the best players in every position, among other things. He named Ronaldo and Messi when discussing the two best players in the history of the sport.
However, when asked to name the greatest footballer in LaLiga history, the Frenchman, who was Messi’s teammate at Camp Nou for three years, opted for Johann Cruyff. The Dutch legend is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the sport’s history, and spent five very successful years (1973-78) with Barca.
Cruyff won eight Eredivisie titles with Ajax before joining Barca and leading them to their first league trophy since 1960 in his first full season. He won three Ballon d’Ors between 1971 and 1974 and ended his time at Camp Nou with 85 goals in 227 appearances for the team.
Cruyff is also credited by many with developing the ‘total football’ style of play, which is still seen at Barca to this day. As a manager, he lifted 11 trophies, including four LaLiga titles, from 1988 to 1996 with Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s LaLiga Numbers Speak For Themselves
Ronaldo and Messi dominated LaLiga at their peak. Although the Argentine has won the Spanish league 12 times as compared to the Portuguese superstar’s two, the two went head-to-head for every record and accolade on offer from 2009 to 2018, when Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus.
While Messi has the most goals in LaLiga history (474 in 520 matches), Ronaldo’s 292 goals in 311 games mean the latter had a super goal ratio of 1.07. The two also have a record 70 LaLiga hat-tricks between them, with Messi’s 36 edging out Ronaldo’s 34.
The two also have a whopping three seasons each to their name, where they netted 40 or more goals. Only two players (Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez) finished as the league’s top scorers while Messi and Ronaldo were in LaLiga together.
The pair remains strong, albeit outside Europe. While Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on the astonishing feat of becoming the first player to score 1,000 professional goals, Messi is spearheading Inter Miami’s charge for trophies in the MLS. The latter recently helped the Miami club win their first-ever MLS Cup title and was crowned the MLS MVP for a record second consecutive season.
