Alexis Sanchez has omitted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in favour of Ronaldo Nazario as the greatest footballer of all time.
Despite having played alongside Messi at Barcelona, the Chilean international chose the Brazilian superstar. Sanchez collaborated with the 2022 World Cup winner 117 times at Camp Nou, contributing 24 shared goals in the process. The pair won the La Liga title together in 2011-12, among other titles.
Despite never being teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sanchez faced the former Manchester United sensation 17 times.
In response to the GOAT discussion, Sanchez stated (via MD Futbol):
“Ronaldo, the Phenomenon for me, is the world number one. I have played with many strong players, I have seen Messi and Ronaldo up close, but he is something else. When he made that fake and went at a mile an hour, it was incredible, a beautiful thing to see in football.”
Ronaldo Nazario made 455 senior team appearances in club football, scoring 289 goals and assisting on 76 occasions. He won La Liga and the Ballon d’Or twice, among other accolades.
He played 99 times for Brazil, scoring 62 goals. Ronaldo Nazario has also won two World Cups, in 1994 and 2002.
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Besides Sanchez, in a recent interview with his club’s media staff, West Ham centre-back Angelo Ogbonna chimed in on the GOAT topic. When asked, the defender preferred Ronaldo Nazario over both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi recently received his eighth Ballon d’Or award after leading Argentina to a World Cup victory in 2022. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who had a good career in Europe, is still scoring consistently in the Saudi Pro League.
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When questioned about the best footballer ever, Ogbonna snubbed both players, saying:
“Yes, we live in a world with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated football, but for my generation, the best player has to be the original Ronaldo. R9. Ronaldo O Fenomeno.”
Messi has 10 La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, and two Ligue 1 titles to his name.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has won the Champions League five times, the Premier League three times, La Liga twice, and Serie A once.
