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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

Mesut Ozil gives definitive verdict on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are widely considered to be two of the greatest footballers of all time, having dominated the sport over the past decade.

The pair have virtually taken turns winning the coveted Ballon d'Or award almost every year since 2008, apart from Luka Modric's win in 2018, lifting a mammoth 63 domestic trophies between them.

Mesut Ozil has now had his say on the debate over which of the two is the best, opting for his former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo by claiming that the Portuguese superstar "was always the best in every county he's played in!"

Asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo in a Twitter Q&A on Monday, Ozil responded: "Messi has proven himself to be one of the best ever in Spain, but Ronaldo was always the best in every country he's played in!"

Ronaldo and Ozil were good friends during their time together at the Bernabeu and recent reports had linked the pair with a reunion at Juventus.

According to CBS Sports, Arsenal offered Ozil to Juventus but the Serie A giants refused to sanction the deal.

Ozil is expected to leave the Emirates either in the January transfer window or when his contract expires at the end of the season and Turkish side Fenerbahce and MLS franchise DC United have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old.

Mesut Ozil spent three full seasons as Cristiano Ronaldo's team-mate at Real Madrid (Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

During his Twitter Q&A, Ozil admitted that he would like to play in both Turkey and America before he retires when asked by a fan what he will do once his deal with Arsenal ends.

"I definitely will [continue playing football]. There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey and USA. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce."

Ozil also opened up about his time at the Emirate, saying: "There have been many ups and downs so far, but all in all I've never regret my decision to join Arsenal.

"And to be honest the last couple of games before the corona break in February & March 2020 made really a lot fun. I've enjoyed that time a lot and I've thought we're really on a very positive way. But after the break things unfortunately changed ..."

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