Jose Mourinho explains why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not the GOATs in football
AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho feels Ronaldo Nazario is the greatest player of all time, snubbing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The 'big two' have dominated the GOAT discourse for over a decade, having overseen extraordinary careers for club and country.
Mourinho, however, feels the answer to who is the best player of all time is neither the Portuguese star nor the Argentine ace.
He picked Brazil legend Ronaldo, whom he worked with briefly at Barcelona.
Speaking to LiveScore, the Giallorossi manager said (via SPORTbible):
"Ronaldo, El Fenomeno. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers, and they have remained at the top every day for 15 years. However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo [Nazario].
"When he was at Barcelona with Bobby Robson, I realized that he was the best player I'd ever seen take to the field. Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible."
Ronaldo played for just one season with the Catalans in 1996-97, but starred for the team with 47 goals in 49 games, including 34 in 37 in La Liga, helping them to three trophies that campaign.
Having signed him for a then-world-record fee of £13.2 million, Barcelona sold him to Inter Milan for £19.5 million, setting a new transfer record, but he saw an injury-ridden campaign there.
Remember when Ronaldo scored this? https://t.co/ix5rAqfhaU
After guiding Brazil to their fifth World Cup title in 2002, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid where he successfully revived his career, only for health issues to crop up once more a few years later.
Following a poor spell at AC Milan, the striker moved back to Brazil with Corinthians, where he played for three years before hanging up his boots.
Ronaldo ended his club career with 352 goals in 518 appearances, lifting 11 titles, coupled with another 62 strikes with the Selecao in 98 games.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remain at the top of their game
Ronaldo Nazario, for all his achievements, will always be named among the best footballers of all time, but his career eventually fizzled out due to injuries and weight issues in his 30s.
Messi and Ronaldo stats after turning 30. 🤯 https://t.co/CmAfGq2EFJ
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, continue to star for their sides in their late 30s, hungry for more glory.
The Argentine recently struck the winning goal from a wonderful free-kick for PSG, his 16th strike of the season in 27 games, while Cristiano Ronaldo followed up his quadruple for Al-Nassr with two assists in their last game.