Having played alongside Ronaldo for many years, Bale rarely hesitated to pick the Portuguese legend when asked for his GOAT by Spanish press. Ahead of the Champions League final last year, though, Bale named Messi as the best player to win the tournament.

The former Welsh international appears to have flipped his opinion once again, putting Messi in second place during a blind ranking for Futcrunch, before naming Ronaldo in first place once he appeared.

Bale spent nine years in Madrid, with Ronaldo as his team-mate for five of them. Arguably Bale's biggest impact came in the 2018 Champions League final when the forward came off the bench to score twice and lead Madrid to their fourth victory in the competition in five years. It was Ronaldo's final game for Los Blancos.

When asked for his preference while playing in Spain, Bale said: “For me, personally, I’d say Ronaldo. He’s got the whole package. He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s pacey, can head the ball, strike the ball. Obviously, you can’t say anything bad about Messi, but for the all-round complete footballer, I’d say Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Bale retired from football in 2023 and has kept a relatively low profile since, often sticking to his well-documented passion for golf.

To many, Messi has cemented his legacy as the 'GOAT' after his 2022 World Cup win with Argentina, leading to his eighth Ballon d'Or last year, with Ronaldo now focused on trying to score 1,000 goals in professional football after scoring his 900th recently.