It's not because of his look — Victor Olatunji settles Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate

Super Eagles-eligible striker Victor Olatunji is the latest to weigh in on the age-old debate that pits Inter Miami star Lionel Messi against Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The duo are two of the most statistically dominant footballers in history, and given that their prime occurred in tandem with the explosion of social media, the crown of Greatest of All Time is usually a toss-up between them, with legends of times past often not factored in. 

The debate, which is set to be eternal, is not left to fans alone, as media personalities, players, and even coaches divide themselves across both sides of the fence. 

Hence, when Pulse Sport's Tunde Young, asked Olatunji for who his footballing idol was during an exclusive interview, the Sparta Praha striker did not hesitate to reveal where his biases lie.

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To the question of who your footballing idol is, the 25-year-old wasted no time before responding, “Cristiano Ronaldo.”

“Yeah, I have a football idol, which is Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo,” Olatunji told Pulse Sports. 

“I make him my idol, not because of his look. I made him my idol because of his concentration, his activeness, and his passion.

“He puts on the pitch and off the pitch because the dedication is very important. What you want to get from somebody, you need to see what they're putting into what you are into so that you emulate that good thing from them.

“So I think I emulate; I'm emulating his dedication, his, his passion, his abilities, you know, too, that he gives towards football. He put into football to be whoever he is today.

With his response, it is safe to throw Olatunji's chips on the Ronaldo side of the column. However, there have been instances where players select Ronaldo as their idol, given him many emulatable qualities, and still qualify Messi as the GOAT. 

One such case is Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert, who revealed he idolised the Portuguese football legend as he looked up to him growing up but admitted Messi was more deserving of the “best player” tag.