‘The aura is crazy’ — Super Eagles icon Iwobi settles Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate

Alex Iwobi has weighed in on football’s most debated question, choosing between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after facing both superstars during his career.

The Super Eagles midfielder didn’t shy away from the difficulty of the decision, but ultimately made his pick clear.

Speaking on the Beast Mode podcast hosted by Adebayo Akinfenwa, Iwobi admitted that coming up against Ronaldo was a special experience.

“That’s a tough one. I always say Messi, when asked the age-old “Messi or Ronaldo question, adding, “When I played against Ronaldo. Don’t get me wrong, the aura is crazy.”

The Fulham midfielder explained that Ronaldo, at that stage of his career, was all about efficiency and end product.

“When I played Ronaldo, he was at a different stage of his career; he was just efficient, getting the ball and going to score.”

Despite his admiration for Ronaldo, Iwobi revealed that his experience against Messi at the Camp Nou left a deeper impact.

“But when I played against Messi at the Nou Camp, there was Messi, Neymar, [Luis] Suarez, Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves, there was just names on names on names. This was my first Champions League start, and I’m walking out, bare fans, and all I’m hearing is ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’.”

He went on to describe the Argentine’s unique presence on the pitch: “Whereas when I played against Messi, every time he had the ball, there was like a radius around him where no one could enter and tackle him. It was mad; no one could get near him.”

Iwobi added a memorable reflection on that night: “I will never forget my Champions League debut, the MSN, Messi, Neymar, Suarez, they all scored. It was the perfect loss for me, I’ve never enjoyed a loss like that.”

Beyond football, the Nigerian star is also making moves in music, recently announcing his debut EP *More To Life*, showing there’s more to his game than just what happens on the pitch.