Steven Gerrard moved to the Saudi Pro League in July (Picture: Getty Images)
Steven Gerrard has changed his tune in the debate over football’s Greatest Of All Time, now opting for Cristiano Ronaldo over his old rival Lionel Messi.
Gerrard was asked for his opinion on the GOAT by Gary Neville on The Overlap, with Sky Bet just last year while he was in charge of Aston Villa.
The Liverpool legend kept it short and sweet, just saying: ‘Lionel Messi, for me.’
Since then Gerrard has been dismissed by Villa and become manager of Al Ittifaq in the Saudi Pro League, joining Ronaldo in the Saudi top flight.
It has not taken long for Gerrard to switch his allegiance in the GOAT conversation, speaking of the big changes in the Saudi Pro League over the last year, he labelled the Portuguese icon as the best ever.
‘The arrival of the GOAT as we call him, Cristiano, him arriving in January,’ he said in a Saudi Pro League interview. ‘Obviously huge signing, still had a lot of football to offer.
‘From afar, for six months, I was looking in at Cristiano Ronaldo’s results, watching some games, watching some highlights.
‘I think from that moment, the league around the world became a very popular talking point for everyone.’
Ronaldo has certainly been banging them in for Al Nassr in Saudi, scoring 13 goals in 12 league appearances this season, but Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory at the end of last year, so Gerrard’s change of tune may not be based on sporting merits.
Gerrard’s team are struggling for consistency, with just six wins in their first 13 Saudi Pro League games, sitting seventh in the table after back-to-back goalless draws.
Al Hilal are flying high at the top of the table, unbeaten in 13 games, and four points clear of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in second.
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