Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo included as Jamie Carragher names his 5 greatest players of all time
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has named Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi and Portugal ace Cristiano Ronaldo on his list of the five greatest footballers of all time.
Messi, 35, etched himself as the greatest player of all time after guiding his nation to their third FIFA World Cup triumph earlier this week. He netted two goals in the regulation time of the tournament final over defending champions France to complete his trophy collection.
Overall, he has scored 793 goals and contributed 387 assists in 1003 combined appearances for Argentina, Barcelona and PSG. So far, he has lifted a whopping 42 trophies during his 18-year-long career.
Lionel Messi's trophy cabinet is a joke 🐐 https://t.co/G7G4XAzrI2
Ronaldo, 37, is also considered one of the best players of all time due to his stellar performances for both club and country. He has netted a whopping 819 goals and laid out 266 assists in 1145 appearances for Portugal, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and Sporting CP, lifting a total of 34 trophies in the process.
Taking to Twitter, Carragher revealed the rankings on his list, with Messi at the top of the list, followed by Argentina legend Diego Maradona and Brazil great Pele in second and third. Ronaldo and France legend Zinedine Zidane are fourth and fifth respectively.
Carragher also claimed that he could swap in Netherlands talisman Johan Cruyff in place of Zidane in a later tweet.
I’m not against changing Zidane for Cruyff 🤷♂️ twitter.com/skyfootball/st…
Messi is next expected to feature for PSG in a Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg on Wednesday (December 28). Ronaldo, on the other hand, is currently in search of a new club after his Manchester United contract was terminated on a mutual agreement earlier last month.
Wayne Rooney highlights difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
In his column for The Sunday Times, Manchester United great and DC United boss Wayne Rooney pinpointed the difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's mentalities.
He wrote:
"I admire both him and Cristiano for going about things their own way. Cristiano openly comes out and says, 'I am the best; I want to be the best.' When Lionel talks, he focuses more on the team and the trophies he wants to win. Neither is right or wrong. It is how two different personalities motivate themselves."
Rooney continued:
"In some ways, they needed each other and, deep down, I suspect they have enjoyed their rivalry. When Cristiano went to Real Madrid, they pushed each other: Cristiano would score two goals on a Saturday, Lionel would score two the next day, and they made each other reach even greater heights, and score more goals."
So far, the pair have won a combined 12 Ballon d'Or awards.