Cristiano Ronaldo once named only player he ranks alongside Lionel Messi and himself in world football
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest players to have graced the beautiful game. However, Ronaldo reckons there's one other player who deserves the accolade: his former Real Madrid manager and Los Blancos legend Zinedine Zidane.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner may not have scored as many goals as Ronaldo and Messi but has, nonetheless, carved out a niche for himself.
In an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Ronaldo reckons Zidane deserves a mention in the GOAT debate alongside himself and Messi. The Portuguese duly acknowledged to Morgan that Messi is the best player he has ever faced.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner elaborated about the best players he has ever played with:
"Him and (Zinedine) Zidane probably, that I have played and fought with. Messi is an amazing player, he is magic. As a person, we share the stage 16 years. Imagine, 16 years we share."
"So I have a great relationship with him. I'm not a friend of his in terms of, what I mean friend is the guy who was with you in your house, speaking on the phone. No, but it's like a teammate. He's a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me."
When Zinedine Zidane picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi as the GOAT
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have scored over 800 goals for club and country during their illustrious careers. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, they're still going strong.
Ronaldo, 38, now plays for Al-Nassr, for whom he has bagged 10 goals and six assists across competitions. Meanwhile, Messi, who joined MLS side Inter Miami this summer, has 11 goals and five assists in 12 games across competitions.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's undoubted prowess, Zidane once picked the former as the greatest of all time (via ESPN):
"There have been many players who have made history at this club (Real Madrid). But nobody has done what he has - the statistics speak for that. What he has done is impressive. So I think yes (he is the best in history). You know I think Cristiano is much better [than me], although I had a good career."
Ronaldo is Los Blancos' all-time top scorer with a staggering 450 goals in nine hugely successful seasons.