Ronaldo wades into Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo best ever debate with shock ranking | OneFootball

Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazario revealed his list of all-time footballing greats, ranking Lionel Messi above Cristiano Ronaldo but neither of them took number one spot.

Ronaldo himself could very well have ranked highly, given his glittering career for Europe's elite and World Cup-winning pedigree, but the formerly prolific striker left himself out of the debate. Something which was beyond his namesake.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently branded himself as the "most complete player to have existed". Ronaldo Nazario did not agree.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has a fantastic history, he has won everything, scored goals in every possible way," the retired Brazilian star told ESPN. "He is definitely among the best in history. Now, I don't agree with him being the best. But I respect his opinion... I would say he is easily in the top ten."

When pushed on who he deemed to be the greatest of all time, Ronaldo turned to one of his legendary compatriots. "Pele is number one, without a doubt," he said. "Then come Messi and [Diego] Maradona, tied together."

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo often figure near the top of lists about the greatest of all time / FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages

To complete his top ten (and stretch beyond that arbitrary number), Ronaldo added: "[Next] Zico, Romario, Cristiano Ronaldo, [Marco] van Basten, [Zinedine] Zidane, [Luis] Figo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho... A series of players. There are many great players on this list, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Every time someone asks me about this ranking, I make a different list. Only these first three are definitive."

Ronaldo was asked specifically about Neymar, insisting that he would be "ninth or tenth" on an ever-growing list. "Neymar is a great player. He may be missing the World Cup, but he has won the Olympics, almost everything."

Despite engaging in a debate on the subject, Ronaldo claimed that he isn't too bothered by these subjective lists - unlike many other former professionals. "It's my opinion, bar talk, but [it's a topic] that has gone viral a lot," the 48-year-old shrugged.

"There are several former players who want to put themselves on this list. I don't feel comfortable putting myself on this list, or being on this list, but my admiration for all of them is huge, as is their contribution to world football."