Former Nigerian captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has chosen Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in football's long-running greatest player debate.
The former Super Eagles midfielder made the comments during a recent appearance on The Obi One Podcast, hosted by fellow former Nigeria international John Obi Mikel.
Asked by Mikel to pick between Messi and Ronaldo, Okocha said Messi was his personal choice. He described Ronaldo as special but categorized him primarily as a goalscorer, comparing his profile to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Okocha said Messi operates on a different level, calling him art and stating that the Argentine was born to play football. He added that Messi's connection to the game is so deep that he would fall ill if he did not play.
Okocha, whose professional career spanned from 1990 to 2012 and included spells at Ein,tracht Frankfurt, Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers, is regarded as one of Africa's most technically gifted players.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the sport's individual honors for nearly two decades, sharing 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them, with Messi holding eight and Ronaldo five. Okocha said both men deserve to be called greats of the game, but explained his preference for Messi on the basis of natural talent and creativity rather than goalscoring alone.