Former Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins has waded into the debate surrounding who is the greatest footballer of all time between Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking in a chat with Fans Tribe, the former Inter Milan striker chose the former Real Madrid forward due to his stint with several clubs and his ability to excel in different leagues.

The former Super Eagles striker, however, acknowledged the greatness of Lionel Messi, adding that he would rate him above every other player.

"I think I will choose Ronaldo. I'm just speaking from experience — playing for so many teams and moving to different countries is very difficult. But for Ronaldo, he has done it. He's played for so many teams — this guy is a machine, and he's still playing and scoring goals.

For me, Messi is something else, and I would rate him above almost anything. But staying at one club for such a long, long time… people wanted to see Messi play for different teams, like in Italy and other places, and now fans can see that. People love Messi because he's calm; they think he's not arrogant. But as a player, you need a bit of arrogance when you're that good."

Martins scored 18 goals in 42 caps for the Super Eagles in an international career that spanned from 2004 to 2015.

"I think I will choose Ronaldo..."

Obafemi Martin picks CR7 over Messi as the G.O.A.T pic.twitter.com/4LwNZEbuNP

— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) April 22, 2025