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Former Dutch striker Marco van Basten snubbed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo while naming his picks for the three greatest footballers in the history of the game.
The three-time Ballon d'Or winner named Brazilian legend Pele, Argentine great Diego Maradona and Dutch icon Johan Cruyff as the greatest players ever to grace the game.
Van Basten, a legend of the game, plied his trade for Ajax and AC Milan at club level. He won the Champions League thrice with the latter and the Euros once with the Netherlands.
He also insisted that he always wanted to be like his friend Johan Cruyff, whom he misses dearly. The Dutch legend told Corriere Dello Sport:
"Pele, Maradona and Cruyff are for me the three greatest players in history."
"As a child, I wanted to be like Cruyff. He was my friend. I miss him. Pele and Maradona were also incredible."
Van Basten said that even though Lionel Messi is a brilliant player, he does not have the mentality of Maradona.
Van Basten also mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo, Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane as great footballers. He added:
"Messi is also a magnificent player, but Maradona has always had more personality on a team. Messi is not the one who puts himself in front to go to war. "
"I don't forget Cristiano Ronaldo, Platini or Zidane."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the game for so many years
While it's debatable whether Messi and Ronaldo are the two greatest footballers of all time or not, there is no denying the fact that they have dominated the game at club level like no one else.
The two iconic forwards share a total of 12 Ballons d'Or between themselves, which is incredible.
Lionel Messi has won as many as seven Ballons d'Or while Cristiano Ronaldo has five to his name.
The three players closest to them in terms of Ballon d'Or wins are Johan Cryuff, Michel Platini and Van Basten himself, with three each.
As the era of Messi and Ronaldo nears its end, we must cherish the fact that it's highly unlikely that football will ever witness such an iconic rivalry again.
Ronaldo is now 37 years of age while Lionel Messi is 34 but they still remain two of the best players in world football right now.
