‘Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi…’: Google CEO Sundar Pichai picks his favourite

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has weighed in on one of football’s most enduring debates, “Messi or Ronaldo”? The top executive has named Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time though he also said that his son is a Cristiano Ronaldo fan. Speaking on a recent podcast, Pichai offered a candid and personal take, even contrasting Messi’s genius with the rigorous excellence of Cristiano Ronaldo.When directly asked to settle the “Messi or Ronaldo, or Pele, or Maradona” question, Pichai, with a chuckle, declared Messi stands alone.Pichai acknowledged the internal dynamic of his own household, admitting, “It’s been interesting, ’cause my son is a big Cristiano Ronaldo fan, and so we’ve had to watch El Classicos together, you know, with that dynamic in there.” “I so admire CR7’s, I mean, I’ve never seen an athlete more committed to that kind of excellence, and so he’s one of the all time greats. But you know, for me, Messi is it,” Pichai added.He also shared an instance when he went to watch Messi play.“Had the chance to see him a couple weeks ago, he played in San Jose, so against the Quakes, so I went to see it, see the game. Was a fan, had good seats, knew where he would play in the second half, hopefully. And even at his age, just watching him when he gets the ball, that movement, you know, you’re right, that special quality, it’s tough to describe, but you feel it when you see it,” he said.

Pichai says leading Google is like coaching Barcelona or Real Madrid

In the same podcast, Pichai likened leading Google as coaching Real Madrid or Barcelona. When asked about the challenging period, Pichai pointed to his ability to “tune out noise,” comparing it to managing a top-tier sports team. “Running Google, you may as well be coaching Barcelona or Real Madrid,” Pichai stated, acknowledging that “you have a bad season.”