'NBA Style' Goal Revives Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Debate on the Internet Again

Cristiano Ronaldo wowed his fans once again with a wonder goal in the match against Sampdoria, as the Portuguese superstar scored a towering header - that has been termed as "gravity-defying" goal.

The goal helped Ronaldo's team Juventus climb to the top of the Serie A rankings.

Ronaldo made a leap of 8 feet 5 inches (2.56 metres) and hung in the air for around 1.5 seconds to score the goal. This was Ronaldo's 10th goal in Serie A this season.

Sampdoria coach Claudio Ranieri praised Ronaldo and compared the Portuguese forward's leap to those seen in the American basketball league.

"Ronaldo scored in NBA style -- he was up there for an hour and a half," Ranieri was quoted as saying Sky Sports Italia.

Ronaldo himself tweeted a photo of his goal with the caption "CR7 AIR JORDAN!". Air Jordan is the nickname of basketball great Michael Jordan who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan was nicknamed "Air Jordan" for his air-defying leaps.

Ronaldo's recent goal has once again led to the comparison between him and Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

Some users on social media said Ronaldo was "flying without wings" while others termed him "CR7 Airlines."

One user said, "Nobody, I repeat nobody, not even your Messi, can score this type of goal. He practically defied Gravity."

Another user wrote, "Is it a bird… or is it plane… No. It's Cristiano Ronaldo."