○For the past 20 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have maintained a constant rivalry, distinguished by their goals, team and individual titles, and on-field achievements.
The debate has been reignited with England legend Gary Lineker standing by the Argentinian, but it appears he doesn’t sit well with the Portuguese star and Lineker has been removed from the selection list of CR7’s 630 Instagram followers.
Lineker reveals how CR7 unfollowed him on Instagram
Millions of fans have championed Cristiano as the undisputed GOAT with 968 goals and approaching 1,000 goals. Some believe that Messi is the best player and highlight the World Cup as one of his greatest achievements. Without a doubt, both players have put on a true spectacle every time they take the field and will continue to do so. But also off the field.
Although he has 4,040 posts on Instagram, has 673 million followers, and follows only 630 accounts, Cristiano remains active on the social media platform. He even decided to unfollow people who, in soccer parlance, “don’t follow me.”
The top scorer of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico said that Al Nasr’s captain had unfollowed him, and the reason was very clear. In the debate over who is the greatest player in history, he supported Lionel Messi.
Speaking to The Rest Is Football (via The Sun), Lineker described the situation:
He doesn’t like me very much, Cristiano Ronaldo. Nothing I said about him offended him…other than the fact that I was honest and thought Messi was a better footballer overall. He unfollowed me on Instagram. I’ll get through it.
This drew laughter from colleagues Alan Shearer and Mika Richards, but Gary revealed that his affinity for the Argentine player was not due to any personal issues with Ronaldo and even joked about the situation.
I will always love him. I’ve met him many times. I know he has feelings for me. But it’s okay. Then, Cristiano, please call me. Let’s be friends again.
The debate has died down recently, but the race for 1,000 goals (968 to 903) and the upcoming FIFA World Cup have reignited the debate over the GOAT title.
The Portugal star is determined to play in his final World Cup and take home the trophy for the first time in history, and with the Argentine captain still in doubt, the pair are looking to make history as the only two players to feature in six tournaments.
The World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and will open on June 11, 2026 and end on July 19, 2026.
