Nigeria's Football Legend, Jay Jay Okocha Makes His Pick Between Messi And Ronaldo

Former Nigerian football star Jay-Jay Okocha has weighed in on the long-running Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate — and he has made it clear where his loyalty lies.

Speaking on The Big One Podcast, the former Super Eagles captain praised Ronaldo’s remarkable goalscoring record but said he sees the Portuguese superstar mainly as an elite goal scorer.

“Ronaldo is a special player. But for me, he’s a goal scorer. He can score 10 million goals. He is a goal scorer. It’s like Haaland,” Okocha said, comparing Ronaldo’s role to that of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

But when the conversation turned to Messi, Okocha’s admiration was unmistakable.

“But Messi, Messi, Messi is on another planet,” he declared.

The Nigerian legend went on to describe Messi as a natural football genius whose life seems inseparable from the game.

“Messi was born to play football. I think Messi will get ill if he doesn’t play football. He’s a genius,” Okocha added.

For Okocha, there is no doubt that Ronaldo is one of football’s greatest-ever goalscorers. However, he believes Messi’s creativity, natural talent and ability to influence every aspect of a game put the Argentine in a class of his own.

Obi Mikel: “Messi or Ronaldo?”

Jay Jay Okocha: “Messi for me. Ronaldo is special, but he’s a goalscorer like Haaland. Messi is on another planet he’s art. He was born to play football. I think Messi would get ill if he doesn’t play football.”pic.twitter.com/QzKVcdMUS3

— carter (@carter8f) August 17, 2026