Arsenal star Raheem Sterling snubs Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he picks surprise name as favorite footballer of all time

Arsenal attacker Raheem Sterling surprisingly named Brazil legend Ronaldinho as his favorite footballer over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While Messi and Ronaldo will certainly go down as greats of the game, Ronaldinho himself achieved a fair bit in his career.

During his playing days, the Brazilian attacker represented several top sides including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), among others. His most notable stint came at the Camp Nou, where the 44-year-old made 207 appearances across competitions, bagging 94 goals and 71 assists.

To make matters more interesting, Sterling chose another Barcelona icon, Neymar, as his second favorite footballer, while Messi slotted in third. The Brazilian striker, Ronaldo Nazario, was mentioned in fourth place, while the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was fifth.

Some may be surprised that Messi and Ronaldo don't rank as the top two on this list, given their exploits in the game. The Argentina captain has won the Ballon d'Or on eight occasions, three times more than his Portuguese rival.

Messi has also lifted the La Liga trophy on 10 occasions while claiming the UEFA Champions League four times in his career. On the other hand, Ronaldo is a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, who has three Premier League and two La Liga titles to his name, along with other awards.

Both players are now in the final stages of their careers. Ronaldo represents Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Messi plies his trade at MLS outfit Inter Miami.

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Juventus legend says Neymar was a better player than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi

Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon placed former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Neymar over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The ex-Italy goalkeeper was asked to choose the best player among those he's shared a football pitch with, and he named the Al-Hilal superstar.

Although Buffon played just 13 matches with Neymar in Paris, he believes that the Brazilian had something special about him. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, he said (via Express):

"I played with three generations of footballers. How can I say it? Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, CR7, Iniesta. Neymar [was the best]. He should have won five Ballon d’Or for the player and the person he is."

Neymar has not managed to win the Ballon d'Or award in his career and is unlikely to do so now, given he's playing his football in Saudi Arabia. He's contracted with his current employers till the summer of 2025.