"I had everything of Messi bro, you as well no?" - Liverpool star duo display clear preference for Lionel Messi instead of Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool star Florian Wirtz has revealed that he had everything of Lionel Messi in his jersey collection, and nothing of Cristiano Ronaldo. His teammate, Jeremie Frimpong, also spoke about the Argentine and said the Barcelona legend was his favorite player of all time.

In a video on Liverpool's YouTube channel, Frimpong was asked to name which footballer Wirtz had on the back of his first jersey.

The Dutchman hesitated and picked Cristiano over Messi, but the German revealed he never had anything of the Portuguese superstar. He said:

"Nah bro, I had everything of Messi bro, and you as well, no?"

Frimpong was quick to confirm that he also had Messi printed on the back of his first jersey and added:

"Yeah, Messi is my favorite player [too]."

Wirtz spoke about his first jersey back in November 2024 and revealed that it was Messi's Argentina jersey. In an interview with Sky Germany, he said (via GOAL):

"My first jersey, however, was Messi's Argentina jersey. When I was little, he was the best player there was at the time in the world. I watched videos of him, was a fan of his - I wanted to be as good as him. Of course, I've developed my own style in the meantime. But nobody can play like Messi - he has his own way of playing. Sometimes, I watch more specifically how he solves situations."

New Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz has never faced Lionel Messi on the pitch. However, he had his first clash with Cristiano Ronaldo in June this year when Portugal defeated Germany in the UEFA Nations League semifinal.

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When Liverpool captain Van Dijk picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Virgil van Dijk named Lionel Messi as his toughest opponent over Cristiano Ronaldo. He heaped praise on both legends of the game, but claimed that the 3-0 loss at Barcelona in 2019 was the hardest night on the pitch for him. He said (via Mirror):

"I would say Lionel Messi, he’s still the best football player in the world. Him and Cristiano [Ronaldo] have been doing unreal numbers in the last decades and it’s incredible what they have achieved. But in this case I will choose Messi, we had a tough night at Barcelona [in 2019]."

Van Dijk has faced Cristiano Ronaldo five times in his career, winning twice and losing the other three matches. He has faced Lionel Messi thrice, and his only win over the Argentine was Liverpool's famous 4-0 triumph over Barcelona at Anfield.

Edited by Nived Zenith