Brazilian legend Ronaldo has waded into the GOAT debate by crowning Lionel Messi as his number one - and leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out.
The Juventus star is typically in the conversation over football’s greatest players but when it came to the players he currently enjoys watching the most, Ronaldo failed to mention his namesake.
Messi is the number one player in Ronaldo’s eyes. That’s not a controversial choice, considering the Barcelona ace is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or award.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah also got a mention, as did a player frequently compared to the former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker, Kylian Mbappe.
The Paris Saint-Germain and France striker has enjoyed a dramatic rise to superstardom in recent years, winning the World Cup in 2018, and Mbappe is one of the players that Ronaldo loves to watch.
“Messi, of course, he is number one, it is a talent that we will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar,” he said, per AS.
“I also like Salah, Hazard, Neymar, that I love watching him play, of course Mbappe.”
Ronaldo went on to say that, while he sees similarities between himself and Mbappe, it’s difficult to compare players of different eras.
“It says a lot of people who look like me, has a lot of speed, finishes well, has great movements, hits excellent with both legs, has an incredible stride,” he added.
“We have similar things, but I never liked comparisons, especially between players of different generations, because the situations are different.”
Cristiano Ronaldo won’t like being left out. The Portuguese star has been excellent throughout his career and he’s still playing at a high level at the age of 35, with 25 goals to his name this season.
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid hasn’t worked out as well as he or Los Blancos would have hoped for, but he remains a world class player.
So too is Neymar, who remains on the hunt for the Ballon d’Or.
And Liverpool’s Salah has silenced his critics with a string of excellent seasons for the Reds.