Richarlison snubs Lionel Messi as he builds ultimate player using various attributes with Cristiano Ronaldo getting special mention
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have ruled world football for the better of the last two decades. Their overall dominance in the game for most of the 21st century has made them inspirations to several current footballers.
However, only one managed to make the list of Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison, who was recently asked by ESPN to make his ultimate player. The Brazilian forward had to pick one player each for one designated attribute. This is how he made his choices:
For speed: Paris-Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe
For strength: Former Brazilian forward Adriano
For intelligence: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos
For dribbling: Al Hilal forward Neymar
For shooting: Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo
For passing: Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne
For leadership: Chelsea defender Thiago Silva
For celebration: Richarlison picked himself!
PSG forward Mbappe is a potential future Ballon d'Or winner, who conquered the FIFA World Cup with France in 2018. Adriano is a former striker who represented Inter Milan at the club level.
Toni Kroos is one of the most decorated player in world football with victories in FIFA World Cup, Euros, UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Bundesliga. Neymar won the Champions League with Barcelona and several league titles in France and Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards and finished 2023 as the highest goal scorer in the world with 54 goals in 59 games for club and country. Thiago Silva, at 39, is leading the defence at Chelsea after having played for other top clubs AC Milan and PSG.
Richarlison picks his top three players in the world right now, ignores Messi and Ronaldo
The Brazilian striker was recently asked by ESPN to pick his three favourite players in the the world at the moment. To the surprise of many, his final list did not include Ronaldo, Messi or Mbappe.
Richarlison named Manchester City star Erling Haaland as one of the three players. The two other names were Real Madrid stars Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.
Haaland finished second in both 2023 Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best Men's Player rankings, with Messi winning both awards. Paris-Saint Germain superstar Mbappe came third in both ratings.