Former Man United and Barcelona star Gerard Pique delivers his verdict on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after sharing a pitch with the two legends

• Defender Gerard Pique enjoyed a prolific spell with Lionel Messi at Barcelona
• The Spaniard was briefly team-mates with Cristiano Ronaldo at Man United 
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Former Manchester United and Barcelona star Gerard Pique has given his verdict on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The centre-half is one of the few players to share a pitch as teammates with Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two greatest players of the modern age.

The Spaniard was briefly teammates with the Portugal international at Man United and enjoyed a prolific spell with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner at Barcelona. 

Asked if the GOAT debate is over now after Messi outshone Cristiano Ronaldo by lifting the World Cup in Qatar, Pique told the John Nellis’ YouTube channel: ‘Well, it’s true that the fight between them two in the last decade was quite impressive because both of them did incredibly well.

‘I think that in terms of talent, Messi is number one, for sure. It’s true that Cristiano has worked very hard to try and compete and fight for that first spot but if you see the careers of both… I would choose Messi, for sure.

‘He showed that even though he’s 35 he can compete as the best player in the world. He showed it in the World Cup.’

Claims of a rift between Messi and Pique over the Argentine’s PSG move was another chapter of an ugly end to his love story with Barcelona.

Influential journalists, including the editor of leading Barcelona football paper Sport, suggested that while Messi had left some friends at the club, other relationships were broken.

Lluis Mascaro, said that Messi felt let down by Pique and believed that Pique had betrayed him by saying to Barcelona president Joan Laporta that it would be ‘okay if Messi left’.

Asked if he messaged Messi to congratulate his former team-mate, Pique said: ‘Erm… not really. This is crazy but it’s true, I was disconnected from the World Cup. Since my retirement I needed to disconnect from sport, so I didn’t watch any games apart from the final – and not the whole game.

‘I tried to disconnect, I went on holiday for a few days. My last few months were tough as a pro and I really needed to disconnect from football.’