Gerard Pique has his say on the GOAT debate as he picks between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has had his say on the GOAT debate as he picks between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pique shocked the football world in November when he announced his immediate retirement from professional football.

In a career that spanned 18 years, Pique spent most of the time as a Barcelona player, getting his hands on multiple La Liga and Champions League titles.

On the International stage, Pique won both the Euro and the World Cup with Spain.

Pique is also one of the more fortunate players to have had the chance to share the pitch with both Messi and Ronaldo.

Before joining Barcelona to play with Messi, Pique was at Manchester United where he played alongside Ronaldo.

The Spaniard has now waded in on the GOAT debate, Pique told John Nellis’ YouTube channel: “Well, it’s true that the fight between the two in the last decade was quite impressive because both of them did incredibly well. I think that in terms of talent, Messi is number one, for sure. It’s true that Cristiano has worked very hard to try and compete and fight for that first spot but if you see the careers of both… I would choose Messi, for sure.

“He showed that even though he’s 35 he can compete as the best player in the world. He showed it in the World Cup.”

Alamy

When asked whether he has spoken to Messi since Argentina’s World Cup triumph, Pique revealed: “Erm… not really. This is crazy but it’s true, I was disconnected from the World Cup. Since my retirement, I needed to disconnect from sports, so I didn’t watch any games apart from the final - and not the whole game.

“I tried to disconnect, I went on holiday for a few days. My last few months were tough as a pro and I really needed to disconnect from football.”

Since his retirement, Pique has spent time on his other interests which include a 7-a-side league in Spain.