Opinion piece: There is no GOAT called Messi or Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Left) and Messi (Right).

I have come to the conclusion that human beings are mean, especially in this era of social media. We show how mean we are in the name of Internet trolls. And most especially when it comes to this so-called argument of who is the GOAT. For those who don’t understand trolls, it simply means, “a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant or offensive comments or other disruptive content.”

Football is not a one-man game, it's a team work, a team made up of eleven players. And if you are a footballer, you either play for a club or a country or both. Each player in a football team has a role to play and the team expects everyone to bring their all to the game.

At the end of every match, it's the club or country or a team that wins or loses. It's never about an individual but that of a team. We end up destroying the beauty of the game when we focus on individuals instead of a team.

Lionel Messi didn't become popular playing as an individual, neither did Cristiano Ronaldo. But when we make an individual more important than the team, soon the team will not play together as a group, but rather each player becomes selfish looking for ways and means to become the talk of the day.

Argentina won the world cup but all the attention is about Messi not his country, as if Messi played as an individual against all the countries and scored all the goals. How should his fellow team mates who scored or helped the team to reach the final be feeling?

Again, when it comes to Messi and Ronaldo, we should all understand no two human beings are the same in everything; and two players are unique, gifted in different ways. Their personalities and temperaments are not the same. So are their achievements and contributions.

Messi has not played for Portugal, for one to conclude that he is the greatest; in the same way Ronaldo has not played for Argentina to come to such a conclusion. Same with the clubs. Messi achieved those records with the help of a team. He is in PSG now; he has not won UCL with them because he is Messi although he did that with Barcelona FC. Let's learn to enjoy the gifts and appreciate the diversity instead of comparing.

The more we compare, the more it looks like people hate one player and love the other. If Argentina or PSG did not start Messi in the team, or was substituted it's not news. Yet, when Ronaldo doesn't start or is substituted, it means he is a bad player. So, the world expects Argentina to win the world cup so they can call Messi the greatest and expect Portugal to lose so they can ridicule Ronaldo. That is how mean we have become!

If your love for one player causes you to hate the other then it's not love but obsession. It's okay not to love all the two players but it's not okay to disrespect any. The two players have contributed so much to the beauty of football, and the world is yet to see more. We cannot conclude on one as the greatest of all time no matter the individual's contribution to their team. The world has not come to an end!

Also Read: I do not want Argentina to win Fifa World Cup-Messi's Doctor.

Source: Frank Edem Adofoli | Host: ghananews.hrforum.uk