MrBeast Supports Messi as the “Greatest Football Player” While Ronaldo Aims to Surpass Him in YouTube Subscribers

MrBeast has taken a clear stance in the ongoing debate about who should be recognized as the greatest footballer of all time, for reasons you might expect.

In a video posted on September 5 by Argentine streamer Spreen on X/Twitter, MrBeast, whose real name is James Donaldson, was given the chance to try mate tea, the preferred drink of Lionel Messi. Despite its name, the beverage is not actually tea but is derived from the South American holly tree.

“That’s something,” the YouTube sensation remarked with a grimace after tasting the drink, before requesting a “soccer ball” and launching into a controversial opinion.

“Speaking of Messi’s drink, Ronaldo recently mentioned he wants to surpass me in subscribers,” he stated, adding, “Messi, you are officially the best football player on the planet.”

“The debate is over; this drink is amazing,” Donaldson concluded.

MrBeast tries mate and talks about Messi and Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/mW2cXAgn0H

— spreen (@SpreenDMC) September 5, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo joined YouTube on August 21 and quickly garnered millions of subscribers, breaking MrBeast’s previous record of gaining over 20 million subscribers in just 24 hours.

The comments from the Portuguese football superstar mentioned in the video were made during a September 2 interview where Cristiano said, “MrBeast is the one I have to beat.”

Even if achieving this is feasible, it may take years for Ronaldo to catch up, as MrBeast currently leads by hundreds of millions, boasting 314 million subscribers at the time of writing. However, MrBeast has faced several controversies recently that could impact his position on the platform.

In light of allegations surrounding workplace sexual assault, fellow YouTuber Ludwig severed ties with Donaldson, demanding a response to the claims.

For a comprehensive account of the accusations and controversies surrounding MrBeast in 2024, see our chronological breakdown of the events as they unfolded.