Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has plumped for World Cup finalist Lionel Messi in the debate over who is the best ever – the Argentine forward or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi has scored eight goals in the 2026 World Cup so far and gets another chance to add to that tally in Sunday evening’s final showdown with Spain (kick-off 8pm UK time).
The Inter Miami talisman tied England up in knots in their semi-final clash on Wednesday night, creating two goals as Argentina came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 and knock Thomas Tuchel’s team out of the tournament.
Messi simply the best
Ronaldo had a poor tournament by his own lofty standards with Portugal, and during an exclusive sit-down interview with 10bet, Heskey said of the Messi vs Ronaldo debate: “My thoughts are that Messi is probably the best to ever do it.
“They are two professionals who have pushed themselves to the absolute limit.
“Ronaldo has shown that with hard work, dedication and sacrifice – real sacrifice, real hard work, real dedication – you can do whatever you want and be whatever you want.
“Messi has shown that even with God-given talent, you still need to nurture it.
“You still need to work hard, train hard, live right and you can be the best.”
Klopp tipped to succeed with Germany
Heskey, meanwhile, has also backed Jürgen Klopp to succeed as he prepares to move into national team management with Germany.
When asked if former Liverpool boss Klopp is a good fit for the Germany role, Heskey added: “I think so, because international football is not easy.
“The reason I say it’s not easy is that as a coach or a manager, you have 10 days to get whatever is in your head as a philosophy, or a country’s philosophy, out on a training pitch.
“And not everyone’s going to be training because some of them might come in with little niggles and all that, so you’ve got five days to get it ready and get them playing the way you want them to.
“You’ve got this guy coming from Cologne, you’ve got that player coming from Bayern, you’ve got them coming from Dortmund – they all play different philosophies and all play different ways, and you’ve got to try and match them all together for your own philosophy.
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Express yourself
“Sometimes international football is not about the tactics and all that; it’s about putting the right players together and letting them go and express themselves.
“That’s what Brazil had a lot of. And I think Jürgen will get the best out of the players when they come together.”
Former England hitman Heskey also picked out Michael Olise of France as the best player of the tournament so far.
“I’ve enjoyed watching Michael Olise. He’s played in a different position,” said Heskey.
“You’ve got to remember, at Bayern he’s been dangerous from the right wing and outstanding this season. Now he’s playing as a number 10 and he’s been unreal there as well.
“He has stood out for me because everything centres around [Kylian] Mbappé, but France channels most of their play through Olise to then go to Mbappé.
Stars have stepped up
“Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Jude [Bellingham], Mbappé – they’ve all stepped up.
“They’ve all stepped up and it’s great to see, because you don’t want to get to the business end of the tournament and all of a sudden everyone just looks tired.
“They’ve all looked so good, and when you consider the weather as well, you have to take your hat off to these guys.
“They all want to show their ability on the biggest stage, and that is exactly what they’ve done.
“They have come in super fit and shown why they are the best in the world.”
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