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English news outlet Daily Mail has ranked the top 50 footballers of all-time, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both making it to the top 10 in the list. The 21st century fans of football have seen a long-standing rivalry between the Portuguese superstar and the Argentine legend, with the pair winning 13 Ballon d'Ors between them.
However, Daily Mail's take indicate that there is a daylight difference between the two players, with Ronaldo ranking 10th on the list, while Messi topped the charts, as per their standings. Another notable absentee from the top-50 list is Brazil national team's all-time top scorer Neymar.
Here are the top 10 footballers as per Daily Mail (via Sport Bible):
10. Cristiano Ronaldo
9. Zico
8. Garrincha
7. Ronaldo Nazario
6. Alfredo Di Stefano
5. Zinedine Zidane
4. Johann Cryuff
3. Diego Maradona
2. Pele
1. Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times, the second most by a player in the history of the ceremony. He does lead the list for nominations, with 18 of them. Messi has won eight Ballon d'Ors in his career so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar - a look at their footballing careers so far
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 879 goals and laid down 249 assists in 1213 games. Besides his Ballon d'Ors, he has won four UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, seven Champions League top scorer award, four European Golden Shoes, and the FIFA Puskas award among other honors.
Lionel Messi has registered 826 goals and 363 assists in 1052 games. He has won two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls, one FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball, two Copa America Best Player awards, two UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, six Champions League top scorer award, and six European Golden Shoes among other honors.
Neymar has 296 goals and 191 assists in 504 games to his name. He is Brazil's top scorer with 79 goals in 128 games. Neymar has six Samba Gold awards, one FIFA Puskas award, and has finished third twice in the Ballon d'Or rankings.
