Wojciech Szczesny, who has played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, recently spoke about his admiration for Lionel Messi. Despite having faced Messi in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and sharing the pitch with Ronaldo 101 times at Juventus, Szczesny still considers Messi to be the best player in football history. He recalled saving Messi’s penalty during the World Cup match between Poland and Argentina, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Argentina. Szczesny admitted that he was unsure how he managed to save Messi’s penalty, but he took great pride in the achievement, given his high regard for the Argentine legend.
While Szczesny has had many encounters with Ronaldo during their time together at Juventus, including facing Messi and Ronaldo’s fierce rivalry in El Clasicos, he expressed a deep respect for Messi, calling him the best in football history. Messi’s and Ronaldo’s long-standing rivalry has been a central theme of world football for over two decades, with both players dominating the sport and securing numerous individual honors, including a combined 13 Ballons d’Or.
Their most recent official encounter was in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage, where Juventus triumphed 3-0 over Barcelona, with Ronaldo scoring twice. Since then, Messi and Ronaldo have moved to new clubs, with Messi joining Inter Miami and Ronaldo playing for Al-Nassr. The two icons had a rare meeting in a February 2024 club-friendly between their respective teams, but neither scored, and Ronaldo did not play in the game.
In the ongoing Messi vs. Ronaldo debate, Szczesny’s admiration for Messi highlights the Argentine’s enduring legacy as one of the greatest players in football history.
