Cristiano Ronaldo misses out entirely, Lionel Messi ranked outside Top Five in list of FourFourTwo's Top 100 footballers in the world

Lionel Messi has been ranked sixth in popular football magazine FourFourTwo's list of the Top 100 best footballers of 2023, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed out completely.

After leaving Manchester United on sour terms in November 2022, Ronaldo has reinvented himself in the Saudi Pro League this year. The Al-Nassr superstar has scored 50 goals and provided 14 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions for club and country — just two goals behind Harry Kane.

Forty out of his 50 goals have come for Al-Nassr. Despite his goal-scoring feats, it seems that he is no longer viewed by FourFourTwo as one of the world's best players.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi failed to make the top five in the list and has been ranked in sixth place instead. Even though the 36-year-old led Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory and recently won his eighth Ballon d'Or, he wasn't able to clinch the top spot.

Messi has had a decent 2023, netting 28 goals and registering 12 assists in 44 appearances for club and country. He also helped Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) win the Ligue 1 title and successfully led Inter Miami to their first-ever trophy, winning the Leagues Cup in August.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 players named in the list (as per The Sun):

10. Vinicius Jr

9. Antoine Griezmann

8. Mohamed Salah

7. Bernardo Silva

6. Lionel Messi

5. Rodri

4. Kylian Mbappe

3. Harry Kane

2. Jude Bellingham

1. Erling Haaland

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"Simply more subtle and elegant" - When Thomas Muller gave his verdict on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi GOAT debate

Bayern Munich superstar Thomas Muller gave his take on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi GOAT debate back in August. He admitted he preferred Messi due to the Argentine's subtlety and elegance.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have contested the GOAT debate for well over a decade now, sharing a total of 13 Ballon d'Ors over the years. Both icons have broken numerous records and are quite possibly two of the best players to have ever played the game.

Muller was asked to choose between the pair, to which he replied to DAZN (via GOAL):

“Who is the greatest of all time? The GOAT for me is Messi because he makes people say 'I go to the stadium because of his elegance' and at the same time he is very effective in scoring goals and achieving records and titles."

The German playmaker added:

"Cristiano is also a strong candidate in two categories which are stats and titles, but Messi is simply more subtle and elegant.”

Lionel Messi is the most decorated footballer of all time, winning 44 trophies in his storied career, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo has won 35. The Argentine superstar has also scored 821 goals in 1047 appearances for club and country, averaging a goal every 105 minutes.

In contrast, Ronaldo has accumulated 869 goals in 1201 appearances for club and country but averages a goal every 112 minutes.