Best player

When it comes to men’s soccer, every generation has its contenders for the best to ever play the game. Before, there was Pelé, then Diego Maradona. For the last two decades, it’s been Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When Messi was included in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2011, French legend and former Barcelona teammate, Thierry Henry described the Argentinian as a “god of the field.” When Ronaldo was on the same list in 2014, Pelé praised the Portuguese player’s “competitive mindset” and “elegance and creativity” on the pitch, adding that he “would have loved having a teammate like Cristiano.”…