Brazilian legend Ronaldo thinks Lionel Messi is the best player on the planet, but that the man who shares his name, Cristiano, isn’t a close second anymore.
Instead, Ronaldo has put Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Eden Hazard, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the bracket behind Messi.
“Messi, of course, he is number one, he is a talent that means it will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar,” he told Goal.
“I also like Salah, Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play, of course Mbappe.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved monumental greatness during his career and is still a force to be reckoned with at Juventus.
In fact, aged 35, what he’s still producing is incredible – but it is probably right for him not to currently be considered one of the world’s very best – as he’s evolved into a poacher of sorts rather than an all-round attacking flyer.
In 2019, Messi won the Ballon d’Or and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was in second. The Dutchman is easily the planet’s best defender and is one of a number of Reds who are unrivalled in their respective positions.
Alisson is the best goalkeeper, Trent Alexander-Arnold the best right-back and there are arguments for the likes of Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Sadio Mane, too.