Chris Paul reveals his pick for GOAT between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

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NBA legend Chris Paul has shared his take on the GOAT debate in soccer between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo have been the two pillars of modern soccer over the last two decades, with both taking the sport to new levels with their individual brilliance and on-field rivalry.

The pair will always be compared with each other due to their brilliance and status as rivals, with an NBA legend now weighing in on the debate.

Chris Paul ruffles feathers while picking between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

On a recent episode of ‘The Late Run’ with Ochocinco, Chris Paul picked Ronaldo as his GOAT because of his personal preference for the star whose career he actively followed.

“That’s tough because Messi man, I’d probably have to say Ronaldo… Man, I ain’t as dialled in, I have an appreciation for both, when I see Messi play, some of the goals, the passion, but that’s (Ronaldo) more so who I followed.”

Ronaldo did have a credible argument in the GOAT debate against Messi, but Messi’s 2022 World Cup run ended the conversation. That point was hammered home at the 2026 World Cup, with Messi leading Argentina to the final while Ronaldo was actively blamed for Portugal’s underperformance.

Ronaldo and Messi had an iconic rivalry over the 2010s, with Ronaldo leading Real Madrid and Messi leading Barcelona.

While Messi might have become the leading candidate in the GOAT debate over the last five years, it’s clear Paul still appreciates prime Ronaldo, who was a machine in the UEFA Champions League, winning five titles and leaving Europe as the top scorer in the competition’s history (140), compared to Messi’s 129.

Messi outshone Ronaldo at the league level, winning seven La Liga titles, while Ronaldo won just two in that span.

Messi has a total of 10 La Liga titles, including the ones he won before Ronaldo joined Madrid. Messi scored 474 goals in La Liga compared to Ronaldo’s 313. However, Ronaldo can also claim to have played in England and Italy, while Messi played only in the less-competitive French league.