Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has weighed in on one of football’s most enduring debates — whether Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could ever share the same team.
Despite enjoying two of the most decorated careers in football history, the legendary forwards have only ever faced each other as rivals. Messi currently plies his trade at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS), while Ronaldo remains a central figure at Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League (SPL).
Brown, who played alongside Ronaldo during his time at Manchester United, spoke to Goal about the long-standing rivalry and the possibility of the two icons joining forces on the pitch.
“I would love that,” Brown admitted when asked if Messi and Ronaldo could play together. “We talk about great strikers through the years – Lewandowski, Ibrahimović, Drogba, Rooney – but these two are completely different.”
Praising their longevity and unprecedented impact on the sport, he added, “You can’t even put them in the same category as the others. The goals, the assists, the trophies – what they’ve done is just on another level.”
Brown also noted that both players continue to thrive late in their careers. “Messi looks like he’s really enjoying life in Miami. It’s not necessarily a competition between them, but in a way, it is.”
He further explained, “It’s like they’ve created their own exclusive rivalry — ‘You pick me, I pick you, but no one else belongs in our league.’ It’s me versus him. I think that’s brilliant.”
Over the years, Ronaldo and Messi have faced off 36 times at both club and international level. Messi has come out on top in 16 of those meetings, while Ronaldo has won 11.
