Shoaib Akhtar Settles Ronaldo vs Messi Debate

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has weighed in on the long-running Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate, describing Ronaldo as football’s biggest commercial brand while placing Messi on a different level as a player.

Shoaib Akhtar shared his views while being on the panel of Tapmad and PTV for the football World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain.

He began by highlighting Ronaldo’s commercial influence and the role the Portuguese star has played in promoting football, FIFA and different leagues over the past decade.

“There has never been a bigger brand in football than Cristiano Ronaldo. Take it or leave it. He is probably the biggest brand FIFA has ever enjoyed. For the last 10 years, FIFA has sold him. Leagues have marketed themselves through him as well,” Akhtar said.

However, Akhtar drew a clear distinction between Ronaldo’s commercial value and the footballing abilities of the two players. He said Messi was far ahead when it came to his influence and performance on the field.

“Now, if you look at Lionel Messi … I know I’m being a bit blunt here. But Messi is on another level. Ronaldo is nowhere close to Messi in terms of football. Just watch Messi’s gravitational pull on the pitch. He gets knocked down, gets back up, and keeps going. Ronaldo is incredible too, look at the work he has done. But again, Messi is different,” he said.

Shoaib Akhtar on Ronaldo and Messi.

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Akhtar also praised Messi’s competitive spirit and said opponents often make the situation more difficult for themselves by provoking the Argentine.

“And even today he is still fighting and competing. Why do people keep provoking him? What’s the point? Once you get him going, he responds,” he said.

The former Pakistan speedster then referred to an observation made by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola about Messi’s unusual ability to understand and analyze a match.

“His manager used to say something interesting … Guardiola. He used to say Messi spends the first 75 minutes just walking around and scanning the game. He maps everything out first. Then, once you disturb him around the 75th minute, he shows you what he’s really made of,” Akhtar explained.

His comments quickly went viral on social media and added fresh debate to the long-running comparison between Messi and Ronaldo. Football fans discussed Akhtar’s distinction between Ronaldo’s global brand value and Messi’s abilities on the field.

However, the discussion was not limited to his views on the two football stars. Many cricket fans also found it unusual to see a former cricketer analyzing football during coverage of a major international final.

Some questioned PTV’s decision to feature Akhtar on a football panel, arguing that a former cricket player was an unexpected choice for such a prominent football broadcast.