Jesse Lingard stunned fans with his unexpected vote in the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi GOAT debate as the English player looks for a new club.
The former Manchester United midfielder was recently removed from his previous club Nottingham Forrest by having his contract terminated prematurely. This came after a poor 2022-23 season, where he had no goal contributions.
The Englishman is now contemplating his next options and is on vacation in America right now. While there, the 30-year-old has taken some time to train at Inter Miami’s training ground. The club is co-owned by former United and English legend David Beckham and has seen Ronaldo’s rival Lionel Messi join there this summer.
Lingard shocks fans with “Messi is the GOAT” verdict
Jesse Lingard played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portuguese’s second stint at Manchester United. They played together for 13 games and even partnered up for a goal. Considering the 30-year-old has been a United player for most of his life, one may think he will choose Ronaldo as his GOAT. Ronaldo even showed his skills to a young Lingard back when he joined Manchester United in 2003.
But the truth is in fact opposite. After Messi completed his triumph of winning the 2022 World Cup, Lingard took to social media to show his GOAT choice.
The GOAT acronym is widely used to describe the term Greatest of All Time. In a Twitter post, he wrote, “Messi the [GOAT]” with five emojis of a goat.
Messi the 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) December 18, 2022
And now Lingard could be playing alongside his GOAT in Miami. The 30 year old is rumored to join the MLS team Inter Miami soon, especially now that he has been seen training there. There have been no official reports of a transfer speculation, though.
Why Jesse Lingard left Manchester United?
Being a United academy product, Lingard has spent most of his career at Old Trafford. He has made 232 appearances for the club, and has scored 35 goals and 21 assists.
Towards the end of his time with the Red Devils, Lingard was regularly benched by the various coaches at the time. This led to him seeking a loan move to West Ham, where he had an impressive spell. He returned to Old Trafford following the loan spell, solely due to his desire to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
He was benched again, and it was certain with the squad that Lingard wouldn’t be starting for them anytime soon. His contract there was also expiring and United was ready to let him leave for free. This is why, he left the club for newly promoted side Nottingham Forrest as he wanted playing time.
After a failed season at Forrest, his contract was terminated, currently leaving Lingard without a club. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old would be eager to receive some offers, as he is determined to make it back on to the pitch as soon as possible.
