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Brazil and Tottenham Hotspur star Richarlison snubbed both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while naming his three current favorite players in an interview with ESPN.
The Spurs attacker's decision may seem reasonable with both Ronaldo and Messi out of Europe and playing football in the Saudi Pro League (Al-Nassr) and MLS (Inter Miami), respectively.
However, both players continue to play influential roles, with Ronaldo having scored 20 goals in 18 league matches this season. Meanwhile, Messi has scored 11 goals and assisted five in 14 matches across competitions for the Herons.
Despite these performances, Richarlison first picked Manchester City's Erling Haaland, a player he often comes up against in the Premier League. Haaland is currently injured but has scored 14 goals in 15 league matches already this season.
He then went with Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham as his second choice. The England international secured a whopping €103 million move to Santiago Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund last summer. Since then, he's scored 17 goals and assisted seven from 25 appearances across competitions.
After pondering for a few seconds, Richarlison chose Brazil national team colleague and Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo for his final pick. The pair have shared the pitch 13 times for Brazil but are yet to register their first joint goal contribution.
Rodrygo has played 29 matches for the Spanish giants this season and has scored 12 goals, while assisting seven in 29 matches across competitions.
Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho fails to settle GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho was unable to settle the everlasting GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and national team colleague Lionel Messi.
He said:
"Messi or Ronaldo? They’re both amazing and great for me, I’m admiring them both same."
It's not surprising that Garncaho was unable to decide between the duo. Messi has scored 715 senior club career goals while winning La Liga 10 times and the UEFA Champions League thrice with Barcelona. He's won the Ballon d'Or on eight occasions and lifted the World Cup with Argentina in 2022.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has notched up 739 senior club career goals and has five Ballon d'Or titles to his name. He's a five-time Champions League and three-time Premier League winner. Ronaldo has also claimed two Serie A and La Liga titles each, among other honors.
