'Ronaldo is the best' - Casillas on why CR7 beats Messi as the GOAT

Iker Casillas believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s more impressive career and work ethic is proof of why he has beaten Lionel Messi as the GOAT.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably two of the greatest players to have graced the football world in light of their respective record-breaking careers.

Deciding on who can be considered the greater player out of the pair, however, remains unresolved. Many famous people have gone for Messi as their GOAT pick, while others favor Ronaldo or another legend altogether.

But now Casillas has weighed in on the debate by explaining how Ronaldo’s career achievements and work ethic deserve greater recognition than Messi’s.

“Cristiano always had a huge desire to be the best, ever since he was a boy and I believe he has achieved that,” the Real Madrid legend told ESPN.

.@IkerCasillas habló en entrevista con @martinainstein acerca de cómo su problema de salud le cambió la vida. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/iRRctoDZBA

— ESPN Deportes (@ESPNDeportes) October 10, 2020

“If I have to compare him to Messi, what Cristiano has done is more impressive because we all know the talent Messi has, but Cristiano was determined and worked hard to be the best.

“I feel we have been lucky to have been able to enjoy two phenomenal players.

“For people that don’t know Cristiano, he can appear to be cocky and arrogant, but it’s totally the opposite.”

Casillas made 228 appearances alongside Ronaldo in six years at Real Madrid before joining Porto in 2015. He also faced Messi 26 times in matches against Barcelona and Argentina down the years.