Brazil Legend Picks Messi In GOAT Debate, Snubs Ronaldo In Top 5 List That Also Includes Salah, Neymar, Mbappe

Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario has claimed Lionel Messi as the “number one” player in the world, while he also snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo from his top five list that includes Mohamed Salah, Eden Hazard, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Ronaldo, who is among the players to have represented both, Barcelona and Real Madrid, has never hesitated to admit that the current Barca skipper, Messi, is one of the finest to have ever played the game.

The Brazilian, who scored 352 goals in 518 club appearances, sees Liverpool star Salah as the next best at present. The "Egyptian King" is just nine goals away from registering his 100-goal mark in The Reds jersey and has been instrumental in the club’s success over the last couple of years. After Messi, who is regarded as a left-footed wonder in soccer, Salah is regarded as the next left-footed sensation in the game. He also holds the Premier League record for the most left-footed goals scored in a single season – 25 goals in the 2017-18 season.

“Messi, of course, he is number one, he is a talent that means it will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar. I also like Salah, Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play, of course, Mbappe,” Ronaldo, who won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002, said in an interview with Spanish outlet AS.

Earlier, Zlatan Ibrahimovic compared Mbappe to Ronaldo saying the 19-year-old PSG striker is already a star.

“Many people say that he looks like me. He has a lot of speed, he finishes well, he has great movement, he shoots really well with both feet, he has an incredible stride. We have similar attributes, but I never liked the comparisons, especially between players of different generations, because the situations are different,” Ronaldo, who has also played for Inter and AC Milan, explained.

While Mbappe has won the league with PSG this season, Messi's Barcelona are just two points clear of second-placed Real Madrid and Salah's Liverpool need just two more wins to seal The Reds' first league title in 30 long years.