FIFA World Cup: 'Cristiano Ronaldo is great but Lionel Messi is greatest,' says Gary Lineker

With minutes to go for the mega FIFA World Cup final clash between Argentina and France, former England striker Gary Lineker said Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of his ’lifetime’ as he keeps him ahead of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona. The 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner said Messi’s ability to play at his potential for a long period gives him an edge over Maradona, who scored twice against England in ‘86 World Cup final. “You can only talk about people in your lifetime and I didn’t really see much of Pele as I was very young, but in my lifetime only [Diego] Maradona really can compare for just doing things that other mortals can’t do. You can compare people statistically in terms of goals – obviously [Cristiano] Ronaldo is a great footballer – but what separates Lionel Messi from even the greatest of players is that ability to do the things that others can’t do,” Lineker told FIFA.com. “Maradona is the only other player to do that and he didn’t do it over the period of time that Messi has, so that maybe gives [Messi] the edge.” Lineker further added that Messi will will the player of the tournament as he feels Mbappe has been great but couldn’t match the Argentine, especially in the big matches. “Messi will be player of the tournament, I think, whatever happens because of the consistency of his performances. Mbappe has produced some great performances and some magic moments but nowhere near as many as Messi – certainly not in the quarters or semis. He had one bit of magic that led to the second goal [against Morocco] whereas Messi has done incredible things throughout,” said Lineker. Read all the Latest News ****, Trending News ****, Cricket News ****, Bollywood News ****, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook****, Twitter and Instagram****.