Gary Neville's Fiery Debate With Jamie Carragher on Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo Goes Viral

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville locked horns over the age-old Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate, with Neville backing the Manchester United star while Carragher insisted Messi is the greatest ever.

Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford this summer and made his second United debut by scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United, adding fat to the fire about the eternal Messi v Ronaldo debate.

However, Ronaldo's former team-mate, Neville, is convinced the 36-year-old is unrivalled across the game's history. "I've always ignored the Ronaldo and Messi question, it's a bit of a fantasy and both need to be enjoyed," the former United right-back told Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.

"I was asked this morning by a gentleman who was driving me in: If you could pick any player in history to come off the bench and win you a game, who would it be? It would absolutely be Cristiano Ronaldo. I do think he's the greatest football player that has ever lived. That is not a bias.

"Messi is a ridiculous player who's scored an obscene amount of goals. It's incredibly similar (on the stats) apart from the wrong-footed goals, the headers, and the penalties. That takes me to a point whereby he's more complete in terms of the most important part of the game. What tips me is the international record, the most goals of all-time, and the five Champions Leagues with worse teams than Messi's."

Carragher, however, wasnt' convinced with Neville's statements and retorted with: "Ronaldo is not the greatest player of all time. I'm going to say it's his mate here (Messi). It doesn't matter how a ball goes in the net, Messi has more goals than Ronaldo. Messi is also a playmaker, he can run a game, Ronaldo can't do that.

"Talk about who you want coming off the bench, Messi has scored more goals coming off the bench, so that's a ridiculous thing you've said there. Ronaldo does things other players can do, Messi does things we've never seen before. In terms of the goalscoring that's not right. There's been a lot of fanfare about Ronaldo from ex-players, I just think you've just got carried away."