The LAFC forward, who is now competing against Messi in MLS, offered a remarkably honest assessment that revealed why his personal choice and his soccer judgment do not completely align. Son Heung-min has found himself in the middle of the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi GOAT debate, despite his own admiration for Ronaldo remaining as strong as ever. The LAFC forward, who is now competing against Messi in MLS, offered a remarkably honest assessment that revealed why his personal choice and his soccer judgment do not completely align. The former Tottenham star has never hidden his admiration for Ronaldo, whom he has regarded as an idol since his younger years. Yet when asked to compare two players who defined an era of soccer, Son admitted there is something about their careers that he simply cannot overlook. The Messi-Ronaldo argument dominated soccer for more than a decade, particularly during their extraordinary spells at Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their individual statistics, trophies, and records created a rivalry that became one of the defining storylines of modern soccer. For many fans, Messi’s 2022 World Cup triumph strengthened his case, giving him the major international trophy that had previously been missing from his résumé. His record eight Ballon d’Or awards, compared with Ronaldo’s five, have also become another significant talking point in the debate. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Ronaldo’s longevity, goalscoring record and success across different leagues provide an equally powerful argument for his supporters. Even the Korean star, one of Ronaldo’s admirers, recognizes that the debate is ultimately too close to dismiss either player. Son remains huge Ronaldo admirer Son’s preference for Ronaldo is deeply personal, with the Portuguese superstar having influenced the South Korean’s approach to soccer from an early age. Ronaldo’s explosiveness, finishing, athleticism, and dedication made a lasting impression on Son, who has repeatedly spoken about trying to emulate his idol. That admiration has survived throughout Son’s career, including his time at Tottenham and now his move to Los Angeles FC. He even had the opportunity to face Ronaldo at the 2022 World Cup, when South Korea met Portugal in the group stage. Speaking during an appearance on The Late Run show, Son explained just how highly he still regards the five-time Ballon d’Or winner: “I mean, look, those two is not comparable, you know, for me. First of all, both make a huge impact for football. The people, I think those two are making football really special. I mean, but I always said Cristiano Ronaldo because he’s my idol, still.” 🚨 Son HEUNG-MIN:Cristiano is my idol but Messi is the GOAT 🐐. pic.twitter.com/LRrVuBmjZn— Johnny Cortes (@johnnycortes) September 3, 2026 The one thing Son cannot ignore Son then highlighted the quality that continues to impress him about Ronaldo, even at this stage of the Portuguese star’s career: “He’s 41, whatever, how old he is, he look like a 20 [year-old] and he show how much love of soccer, the passion, but yeah, I can’t change this things, you know, like Lionel Messi. Wow.” That was where Son’s answer took an interesting turn. Despite Ronaldo being his personal idol, Son conceded that Messi’s overall career makes it extremely difficult to deny the Argentine’s claim to being the greatest player ever. “Probably I would say he’s the GOAT. I can’t, I can’t disagree with this. He’s probably the best player, but my eyes, my point of view, I always want to play like him, like Cristiano Ronaldo, you know”, he added. The LAFC forward’s answer ultimately came down to the difference between personal inspiration and his assessment of greatness. “So that’s the reason that I will pick him [Ronaldo]. But look, those two it’s not comparable, you know. So both amazing. Both are GOATs.” The LAFC star therefore remains firmly attached to Ronaldo as his personal choice, while simultaneously acknowledging that Messi has an incredibly
Postecoglou has now opened up about what attracted him to Riyadh, offering a surprisingly personal explanation for why the opportunity appealed to him. Cristiano Ronaldo has become one of the biggest figures in Ange Postecoglou’s new chapter at Al-Nassr, but the Australian manager’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia was shaped by something deeper than soccer ambition alone. Postecoglou has now opened up about what attracted him to Riyadh, offering a surprisingly personal explanation for why the opportunity appealed to him. The 61-year-old arrived at Al-Nassr in July on a two-year contract after Jorge Jesus departed for the Portugal national team. Since then, the Australian has embraced the challenge of working in a rapidly developing league, while also finding himself at the center of Ronaldo’s pursuit of another remarkable career milestone. Postecoglou has built a fascinating managerial career, working across Australia, Japan, Scotland and England before taking charge of Al-Nassr. His European experience included spells with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, with his time at Tottenham ending shortly after he guided the club to the 2025 Europa League title. His arrival in the Middle East therefore naturally raised questions about why he would choose to leave the European soccer environment. For Postecoglou, though, the decision was never simply about comparing one league with another. Instead, one particular opportunity made the Al-Nassr project especially difficult to resist. First awards of the season, and the boss is already on top 🧠🥇Ange Postecoglou — Coach of the Month for August 👏 pic.twitter.com/QvfQBXCnmM— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) September 2, 2026 Why Ronaldo played major role in his decision Postecoglou revealed that the chance to become part of Cristiano Ronaldo’s story was one of the attractions of moving to Riyadh. The manager views his career partly through the relationships he has built with extraordinary players, and Ronaldo represents perhaps the biggest name on that list. Speaking on The Howie Games podcast, Postecoglou said: “When I reflect on my career, what stands out for me is that I’ve been unbelievably blessed in being part of other people’s journeys.” He recalled working with legendary figures throughout his career, including Ferenc Puskás, Australian icon Tim Cahill and Son Heung-min. Postecoglou explained: “So, there’s no doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo’s here, you kind of go, I can become a small part of his story as well.” The Australian stressed that his motivation was not selfish. He added: “Not that they’ll tell my story alongside it, but I can tell that story, and that was a part of it as well.” Will Postecoglou regret decision? The manager also pushed back against the idea that joining the Saudi Pro League represented a backward step. Rather than judging the competition by its location or perceived prestige, Postecoglou said he focused on whether the project offered genuine opportunities. Postecoglou said: “People say ‘it’s not in Europe, it’s not a higher profile league’ but I’ve always railed against people who are snobbish about certain leagues and everything.” He added: “I wasn’t going to turn around and say that’s a backwards step for me. I never see things that way.” Instead, the Australian asked whether he could make an impact and whether the challenge would excite him. He continued: “It ticked those boxes for me because it’s a league that’s obviously invested a lot of money, there’s some top managers here, some top players here. The chance to be a part of that was significant.”
Lionel Messi's international career included a perfect record at River Plate's Monumental, never once losing with Argentina at the historic venue. Lionel Messi closes his international career with a perfect record at one particular venue, having never lost a match with Argentina at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental. The stat resurfaced this week as clubs and fans across Argentine football paid tribute to Messi following his retirement announcement from the national team, with River among those honoring his legacy. Across 28 appearances at the Monumental, spanning two decades of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies, Messi finished with 22 wins and six draws, never once suffering a defeat on that ground. He also found the net 19 times in that stretch, further cementing the Monumental as one of the most fruitful stages of his international career. The gesture reflected the broader wave of tributes that followed Messi’s retirement letter, in which he described the decision as one that “hurt and still hurts the soul,” while thanking teammates, coaches and fans for two decades of shared history with the Albiceleste. 🏟️ Una historia 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮 en el Monumental: 28 partidos, 19 goles, 22 victorias y 6 empates.Gracias por tu magia en casa, Leo 🇦🇷🐐 pic.twitter.com/kjRbmBk4kI— River Plate (@RiverPlate) August 31, 2026 Every Messi match with Argentina at the Monumental DateResultCompetitionOct 9, 2005Argentina 2-0 PeruWorld Cup QualifiersOct 13, 2007Argentina 2-0 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersNov 17, 2007Argentina 3-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 15, 2008Argentina 1-1 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersSep 4, 2008Argentina 1-1 ParaguayWorld Cup QualifiersOct 11, 2008Argentina 2-1 UruguayWorld Cup QualifiersMar 28, 2009Argentina 4-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 6, 2009Argentina 1-0 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2009Argentina 2-1 PeruWorld Cup QualifiersSep 7, 2010Argentina 4-1 SpainFriendlyJun 20, 2011Argentina 4-0 AlbaniaFriendlyOct 7, 2011Argentina 4-1 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersNov 11, 2011Argentina 1-1 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 2, 2012Argentina 4-0 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersMar 22, 2013Argentina 3-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 7, 2013Argentina 0-0 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 4, 2014Argentina 3-0 Trinidad and TobagoFriendlyMar 24, 2017Argentina 1-0 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersSep 6, 2017Argentina 1-1 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersSep 9, 2021Argentina 3-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2021Argentina 3-0 UruguayWorld Cup QualifiersMar 23, 2023Argentina 2-0 PanamaFriendlySep 7, 2023Argentina 1-0 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersOct 12, 2023Argentina 1-0 ParaguayWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2024Argentina 1-1 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 15, 2024Argentina 6-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 10, 2025Argentina 1-1 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersSep 4, 2025Argentina 3-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup Qualifiers Messi’s trophy haul with Argentina Messi’s international career with Argentina was defined not just by numbers, but by six major titles across youth and senior level. He won the U-20 World Cup in 2005 and Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games with Argentina’s youth sides, laying the foundation for what was to come with the senior national team. As an adult, he added four more to that tally: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2024 Copa America. Those six trophies, combined with his unbeaten record at the Monumental, round out a legacy that stands as the most decorated in Argentine football history.
Schalke have secured a Deadline Day signing in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan, who is joining the Bundesliga club on a season-long loan. The 30-year-old has previously had stints in Germany with Hamburg and RB Leipzig.
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