Despite hating Manny Machado as a youngster, Nolan Arenado explains how his attitude toward the Padres superstar changed

Though still active, Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado are considered by many - including ex-Athletics All-Star Yonder Alonso - as one of the greatest third basemen ever. Though a Fall Classic has eluded them, their accomplishments are second to none in their position.

On Tuesday, Alonso - now an MLB Network analyst - interviewed Arenado for the MLB Network Podcast. He quizzed the St. Louis Cardinals star on being labeled as the greatest third baseman of the last 15 years, alongside Machado.

"When I first got called up, you know, I heard the hype on Manny Machado, you know, and uh I have, you know, I have the utmost respect for him," Arenado said [From 11:10]. "When I was younger, you know, I heard about his name so much, like in my mind, I kind of put that I didn't like him because of how much I heard about him."

Machado - a top talent out of Miami - was selected third in the 2010 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, Arenado — a year older — was a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2009.

"Because everyone talked about him like, man, I'm tired of people talking about, I want them to talk about me, man," Arenado added. "Like, I'm going out there, I'm doing it too, you know? But, you know, as I've gotten older, I learned to appreciate Manny for how good he is, how consistent he is."

Manny Machado's first hit in the Padres' 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday was his 2000th hit. In doing so, he became the fifth active player after Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt to achieve the milestone.

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Nolan Arenado shares what he likes about Manny Machado

Despite being a draft class older than Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado debuted in 2013, a year after Machado. However, it didn't deter Arenado from competing with Machado in achievements.

Arenado grew past his initial hatred of Machado and started appreciating him for several reasons, as he spoke with Yonder Alonso.

"I feel like when I watch Manny, you know, I appreciate him because he wants to play every day just like I do," Arenado said [From 11:39]. "He posts, he wants to win, and he competes his butt off. And that's something that, like, I feel like—I, don't know. I don't know what he feels like, but I feel like I feel something similar."

As he grew older, Arenado came to realize that Manny Machado was a great player. He even admitted that the Padres' superstar is his favorite third baseman of all time.