Lionel Messi declined an offer to appear on a CBS Sports show “because of Jamie Carragher.”

Because of Jamie Carragher, Lionel Messi turned down an offer to join CBS Sports’ coverage, but the Liverpool star still feels he is the best player of all time.

The age-old dispute between Messi and long-time adversary Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaced on the latest CBS ‘Golazo’ broadcast, with Carragher sure that the Argentina and Barcelona icon is unmistakable.

After Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or, host Kate Abdo wondered if the discussion was really gone.

But Liverpool veteran Jamie Carragher was having none of it. Messi was always ahead in his views, and it’s “not even close” in his opinion.

“It was never a debate!” he said. [Cristiano] Ronaldo was nothing near [Lionel] Messi’s level. Messi is the best history of all time, while Ronaldo was one of the greatest goal scorers of all time. It doesn’t even come close. Messi scored goals and was an incredible player not just because Ronaldo did. I don’t think it’s even close.”

Carragher has absolutely no affiliation to either players, in fact he has reason to dislike the pair of footballing titans.

Ronaldo blanked him at Old Trafford when he was doing punditry, while Messi once messaged to call him a “burro”, which donkey” after he said he wasn’t a “great signing” for Paris Saint-Germain.

The broadcast on Wednesday night emanated from Miami and Abdo proceeded to reveal that they asked for Messi to come on their programme.

However, he is said to have declined the proposal – with Carragher cited as the reason.

Abdo claimed: “You know that we made an official invitation, extended one to Inter Miami and asked him [Messi] to come on the show, and you know what the official response was from Inter Miami? Apparently, Lionel Messi will not be doing any television show that Jamie Carragher is a part of.

Carragher didn’t take the pieing personally, seeing the funny side and saying that Messi would not bring the energy to CBS that he does.

GET RELATED ARTICLES ON       SPORTZONENEWS