Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t hesitate when asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reflected on which of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi deserves to win the greatest debate of all time and fans are not happy.

The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi is perhaps one of the fiercest in all of sports, as football fans around the world argue over which of the two is the greatest of all time.

While Ronaldo fans will argue that the Portuguese striker has scored more goals than his rival, many believe the Argentine finally settled the debate by winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, perhaps the most qualified people to speak out on the issue are former football players, and who better than former Manchester United and Barcelona striker Ibrahimovic, a man who does not shy away from controversial topics.

Speaking in 2022, Ibrahimovic replied in his typically controversial and confident style: “The only thing Ronaldo has ahead of Messi is age.”

Chelsea fan Frank Khalid caused a stir on social media by sharing the quotes without context, which predictably brought Ronaldo fans out in droves.

One of the most popular answers was: “I have never seen a more jealous and selfish player than Ibrahimovic. Solomon Kalou had a better career than that fraudster.”

Another added: “Zlatan is just jealous and he can never achieve what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in the world of football.”

A third person chimed in: “Zlatan turns out to be a comedian, he needs to respect CR7!”

However, not everyone’s answers just focused on the Swede. Instead, some defended his statement, saying Messi’s World Cup triumph essentially ended the debate about who was the greatest of all time.

One user replied with: “Messi has ended the debate. Nothing to talk about anymore,” a second said: “Zlatan is not wrong.”

According to some, Ibra’s comments actually speak of a hidden agenda against Ronaldo rather than him simply expressing his objective opinion.

In fact, many pointed this out in the replies, attributing it to a World Cup qualifier in 2013.

According to theorists, the origins of the Ronaldo-Ibra dispute go back to a meeting between Portugal and Sweden, where a CR7 hat-trick that evening prevented the Scandinavians from qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

“I never thought one performance could shatter your mental peace for nine years,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Whatever the truth behind it, this certainly won’t be the last we hear from Ibrahimovic about the legendary duo.

In fact, it’s a debate that continues to divide former footballers down the middle, with stats, trophies and legacies being compared ad nauseum.