'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho, one of the best midfielders in football history, played a key role in the emergence of Lionel Messi as a superstar.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner took up the then-teenaged Argentine under his tutelage, which allowed Messi to take his first steps towards superstardom. Considering the name, it is unsurprising that Ronaldinho would pick Messi as the 'best player in history'.
He said in an interview in 2005;
“He's the best in history, no doubt. Nobody has done what Messi's done. The other one (Ronaldo) is complete, he has it all. So does Messi, but it's a question of taste, and I prefer Messi's style. I would have loved to continue playing alongside him (Messi). I didn't get enough time with him; he was very young. I'd love to take to the pitch with him one more time.”
Years later, with Messi running out of contract at Barcelona, Ronaldinho wanted the Argentine to stay on at Camp Nou.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as Barcelona failed to offer Messi a new contract owing to La Liga's financial fair play rules. The player then moved to Ligue 1 giants PSG.
#2 Marco van Basten
Marco van Basten was a top striker during the late 80s and 90s. He was a key player in a formidable AC Milan team during that period.
The three-time Ballon d'Or winner scored one of the best goals of the tournament in the final of the 1988 European Championship. The brilliant Dutchman also enjoyed success with Milan, winning three Serie A titles.
While he acknowledges that both Messi and Ronaldo are extraordinary players, Van Basten believes the Argentine is a generational talent, saying:
“Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi know nothing about football, or they are saying it in bad faith. Messi is one of a kind. Impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years.”
Van Basten retired from the game in the mid-90s after failing to overcome a debilitating ankle injury.
#1 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona is widely regarded as one of the best players to have played the game. The late Argentine legend managed Messi at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Like all the others on the list, Maradona admitted that both Ronaldo and Messi are special players. Still, his preference between the two went to Messi, as the latter never 'played badly', saying:
“I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly. I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. Football history will remember Messi. Football has given him a lot, as much as he has given the sport and to win a World Cup, in my opinion, wouldn't bring himself anything else.”
The two-time FIFA World Cup winner passed away last year after a heart attack. After his demise, Messi called the day of Maradona's demise a 'very sad day for all Argentines and for football'.
