The debate regarding who is the greatest of all time has been going on for years, but Argentina's recent success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup has heavily swayed the conversation in Lionel Messi's favor.
The Barcelona icon established himself as one of the best to have graced the beautiful game thanks to his goalscoring record, creativity, and dribbling but his failure to win football's most prestigious award worked against him for years.
However, in Qatar, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner put that to an end, guiding La Albiceleste to the title for the first time in 36 years. However, was that unforgettable campaign from La Pulga enough to earn him the "GOAT" status ahead of Pele, Diego Maradona, and even his peer Cristiano Ronaldo?
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti touched on this topic and revealed why it is impossible for him to hail Messi as the greatest. With Los Blancos set to return to action on Friday, taking on Real Valladolid, the Italian tactician sat down in front of the media to discuss that upcoming fixture and a number of other topics, namely Qatar 2022.
When asked if he considers Leo the "GOAT" following Argentina's victory, the 63-year-old gave an interestingly candid response, arguing that it is extremely difficult to award the 35-year-old superiority over players who enjoyed similar success in previous eras.
"It's difficult to say, I don't know if he's the best in history," the former Chelsea, AC Milan, and PSG boss said, as per the Daily Mail.
"It's not fair to say that, because each era has very good players. 'Messi is the best in history' won't come out of my mouth.
The iconic Italian tactician also added: "I've enjoyed so many good players... I train the Ballon d'Or every day. And I've seen Cruyff, Maradona play…"
In all fairness to the Santiago Bernabeu gaffer, this is the question of the century. Does Messi's success in modern football trump the achievements of Pele, Maradona, Di Stefano, and many others? And if so, how best can one compare and contrast these icons who faced different trials and tribulations?
The only thing that is certain is that the debate regarding the greatest of all time will wage on for the foreseeable future.
