Hirving Lozano picks Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo while building perfect footballer; both players fail to win selection for Soccer IQ attribute

San Diego FC star Hirving Lozano has picked both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo while building his 'perfect footballer', in an interview with Goal. The former Napoli man was asked to build his ideal footballer while taking into consideration seven different factors: left foot, right foot, speed, strength, skills, passing and soccer IQ.

While Lozano picked Messi's left foot and Ronaldo for his right, he did not pick either of them in the soccer IQ category. He went for France and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane for that attribute instead. Lozano also chose Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele for his speed.

Lionel Messi was selected yet again by Lozano in the skills category, while Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was picked for his strength. Legendary Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to have graced the game, was picked by Lozano for his passing abilities.

You can watch the video here:

Lozano, a Serie A winner with Napoli and a two-time Eredivisie champion with PSV Eindhoven, moved to the MLS in the 2025 January transfer window. Lozano has also made 70 appearances for Mexico, while scoring 18 goals.

Lionel Messi is the leading goalscorer of the MLS, while Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new deal in Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi has been in fine form in 2025, scoring 24 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions, while providing seven assists. In the MLS this season, he has scored on 18 occasions and currently leads the goalscoring charts alongside Sam Surridge of Nashville SC.

Messi is now gearing up for the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami. His team takes on Atlas in the first round on Wednesday, July 30. Having last won the Leagues Cup in 2023, Inter Miami will aim to pick up the title again this year.

Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, turns up for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. In the 2024-25 season, he was in phenomenal form, scoring 35 goals in 41 appearances while assisting on four occasions.

In 2023-24, his second season in Saudi Arabia, he showcased even better numbers, scoring 50 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions, including the Arab Club Champions Cup, while also providing 13 assists.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet won the Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr, and a lot of speculation rose about his future at the club earlier this summer. However, a few weeks afterwards, he committed himself to the club till 2027.

Edited by Nived Zenith