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Former Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has snubbed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo while naming Ronaldo Nazario as the best footballer ever.
The Chile international picked the Brazil legend despite having shared the pitch with Messi at Barcelona. At Camp Nou, Sanchez played alongside the 2022 World Cup winner 117 times across competitions, managing 24 joint goal contributions in the process. Together, the pair won the La Liga title in the 2012-13 season, among other trophies.
Although Sanchez was never teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, he played against the former Manchester United superstar 17 times.
Addressing the GOAT debate, Sanchez said (via MD Futbol):
"Ronaldo, the Phenomenon for me, is the world number one. I have played with many strong players, I have seen Messi and Ronaldo up close, but he is something else. When he made that fake and went at a mile an hour, it was incredible, a beautiful thing to see in football."
During his career, Ronaldo Nazario managed 455 senior team appearances in club football, bagging 289 goals and 76 assists. He won La Liga and Ballon d'Or twice each, among other honors.
He represented Brazil 99 times, scoring 62 goals. Ronaldo Nazario also has two World Cup trophies to his name - 1994 and 2002.
West Ham defender picks Ronaldo Nazario over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
West Ham centre-back Angelo Ogbonna weighed in on the GOAT debate in a recent interview with his club's media team. The defender also chose Ronaldo Nazario over both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when posed the question.
Messi recently won his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy after leading Argentina to World Cup success in 2022. Meanwhile, Ronaldo continues to score regularly in the Saudi Pro League after a successful career in Europe.
Snubbing both players, Ogbonna said when asked about the best footballer ever (as per West Ham's official website):
"Yes, we live in a world with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated football, but for my generation, the best player has to be the original Ronaldo. R9. Ronaldo O Fenomeno."
Messi has won La Liga ten times, the UEFA Champions League trophy thrice, and Ligue1 twice, among other honors.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, is a five-time Champions League, three-time Premier League, two-time La Liga and Serie A winner.
