Cristiano Ronaldo: Magnus Carlsen makes Real Madrid claim as he calls Messi the GOAT | OneFootball

Legendary chess player Magnus Carlsen has revealed that he was once told to say Cristiano Ronaldo was his favourite player during a Real Madrid interview.

The Norwegian grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion, who reportedly has an IQ of 190, was speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast when he was asked who the greatest footballer of all time is.

“I think it’s pretty hard to make a case for anybody else than [Lionel] Messi for his all-round game,” he said.

The 31-year-old added: “My Real Madrid fandom sort of predates the Ronaldo era – the second Ronaldo, not the first one [Ronaldo Nazario].

“I always liked Ronaldo but I always kind of thought that Messi was better.

“I went to quite a number of Madrid games and they’ve always been super helpful to me down there. The only thing is that they were going to do an interview and they were going to ask me who my favourite player was.

“I said somebody else, I think it was Isco at that point, and they were like: ‘Okay, take two, now you say Ronaldo’.

“So for them it was very important, but it wasn’t that huge to me.”

Magnus Carlsen: I was told to say Ronaldo is my favourite player

The clip has gone viral on social media.

At the height of the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry, it felt like everyone associated with Real Madrid and Barcelona had to publicly side with their respective team’s star player.

It was like an unwritten rule.

If Real Madrid signed a player, that player would declare that Ronaldo was the world’s best footballer. Or vice-versa with Barcelona and Messi.

Now that both players are no longer at La Liga’s big two clubs, though, things have changed a bit.

However, because there is no right or wrong answer, the debate over which of the two legends is superior is likely to rage on for many years to come.

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