Former Nigerian football star Jay-Jay Okocha has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the long-running debate over who is the better footballer.

Speaking on The Big One Podcast, the former Super Eagles captain acknowledged Ronaldo’s exceptional goalscoring ability but described the Portuguese superstar primarily as a goal scorer.

“Ronaldo is a special player. But he’s for me a goal scorer. He can score 10 million goals. He is a goal scorer. It’s like Haaland. Haaland is a goal scorer,” Okocha said.

However, Okocha reserved special praise for Messi, insisting that the Argentine operates on a completely different level.

“But Messi, Messi, Messi is on another planet,” he said.

According to the Nigerian football legend, Messi’s natural talent, creativity and deep connection with the game make him a football genius.

“Messi was born to play football, you know. Messi, I think Messi will get ill if he doesn’t play football. You know, he’s a genius,” Okocha added.

Okocha’s comments place Messi ahead of Ronaldo in his personal assessment, with the former midfielder highlighting the Argentine’s all-round ability and football intelligence beyond goalscoring.

“I pick Messi over Ronaldo, because Messi was born to play football, while Ronaldo is just a goal scorer for me,” Okocha said.