Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez split in GOAT debate by one unforgettable clash

VR46 Ducati MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli says the impact he had on global motorcycle racing is what sets Valentino Rossi apart from Marc Marquez in the greatest of all time debate.

In a glittering grand prix career, Valentino Rossi won nine world titles - seven of which in the premier class - and a total of 115 GP wins, as well as massively growing the profile of MotoGP worldwide.

The debate of who the greatest rider of all time is, Rossi frequently tops people’s lists.

But in 2025, Marc Marquez is set to match Rossi’s career haul of world championships and is edging closer to his premier class wins record of 89, having so far scored 72.

For many, Marquez has already taken the GOAT crown.

Valentino Rossi v Marc Marquez GOAT debate rages on

Franco Morbidelli, who owes his career to Rossi, unsurprisingly backs his mentor in this debate for the impact he has had on MotoGP.

But he also suggests that the controversial 2015 fallout between Rossi and Marquez has swayed his opinion.

“I'm going to do my best to answer you, and I'll put my friendship with Valentino aside to do so,” he said about this debate in an interview with AS.com.

“Right now, Marc has eight titles, and when he wins this world championship, he'll have nine, like Vale.

“The numbers are equal, and I think both Valentino and Marc can be considered among the three or five greatest in history, because of the numbers and the way they achieved them.

“What Marc did was incredible and inspiring, but I have one reservation about his great career, a not very positive thought about one moment in his career. I'm referring to 2015.”

In 2015, Rossi accused Marquez of conspiring to sabotage the Italian’s title hopes - a conspiracy he continues to preach to this day.

Asked for a more definitive answer on whether he picks Rossi or Marquez as the GOAT, Morbidelli added: “Because of the way he [Rossi] approached the sport and the touch he brought to it, which took it to another dimension.

“Marc is brutal and fantastic, but he hasn't achieved this.”