Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Monday, February 16, 2026, 4:53 p.m. / Updated Monday, February 16, 2026, 4:53 p.m.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 years old), the star of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, was challenged to pronounce on one of the most famous questions in sports, the comparison between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Greek admires the qualities of the Argentinian, who he considers the best player of all time, but said he identifies more with the Portuguese's mentality,
Giannis Antetokounmpo prefers Cristiano Ronaldo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, instead of underestimating one of the two, recognized the unique value and immense contribution that both have in world football, noting that such comparisons are usually based on personal preferences and not absolute truths. However, the “Greek Freak” chose him on Cristiano Ronaldodeclaring that he feels closer to the Portuguese star's philosophy. He didn't stop so much at goals or statistics, but above all at his mentality
At the same time, he wanted to show his respect to Lionel Messiwhom he characterized as an example of “pure natural talent” and admitted that he considered him the greatest footballer of all time. Thus, he clarified that the choice of Cristiano in no way diminishes the value of the Argentine world champion, but rather reflects his own personal philosophy about success.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
“Messi is pure talent, pure talent. And with hard work and discipline throughout his career, as well as consistency, he has remained at the top. He is probably the best player of all time.
But I identify more with people who are similar to me, don't I? Hard work, discipline, taking care of your body and consistency for many years. He is 41 now and still playing at a high level. So my mentality is closer to that of Cristiano Ronaldo“, said Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to sports.yahoo.com.
Finally, he stated that he would like to see a similar discussion in basketball in the future where people compare him to Michael Jordan. Giannis won two consecutive NBA MVP awards in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years, being named the Finals MVP.
