Who is the greatest player of all time? It's a question that has been asked for many, many years. The answer tends to be either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, with the two superstars winning 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them.

Their duopoly has dominated football for an entire generation. Before them, though, there was Pele and Diego Maradona. The two South Americans dominated the sport during their era and are still in the GOAT conversation despite the emergence of Messi and Ronaldo.

While everyone has an opinion on the best players in the world, the opinions of those who reached the pinnacle of football just hold a little bit more weight. That's why it's so interesting to hear from Ronaldo Nazario - the Brazilian Ronaldo - who named his top 12 players during an interview with ESPN at the start of 2025.

Cristiano Ronaldo himself claimed to be the world number one in a self-absorbed interview earlier in the year. However, his namesake believes, while he is one of the greatest, he is not in the top three. He said:

"Cristiano Ronaldo has a fantastic history, he has won everything, scored goals in every possible way. He is certainly 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 10."

Pele

Brazil and football are a love affair wrapped in velvet packaging. From the videos showing a silhouette of children playing football tennis on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to the nation's grip on the World Cup throughout the last century, there's always been something poetic when it comes to Jogo Benito (the beautiful game).

The forerunner to this love story was Pele, so it's hardly a surprise that Ronaldo claimed his countryman is "number one, without a doubt" when naming his top three greatest footballers of all time.

Pele made his Brazil debut all the way back in 1957 as a sprightly 16-year-old. 92 caps and 77 goals later, he is rightly considered the greatest international footballer to ever step foot on the planet. To this day, he remains the only player to have won three World Cups, playing a key role in each.

Lionel Messi & Diego Maradona

In an all-South American trio, Ronaldo found it impossible to determine who came closest to Pele’s ethereal status. Instead, he included both Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in his top three without distinguishing between second and third place. Grouping the Argentine icons together was only fitting.

Both donned the revered number 10 shirt, both lifted the World Cup, and both rank among the greatest dribblers the sport has ever seen. Before Messi, there was Maradona; after Maradona, there was Messi. Regardless of how fans across generations choose to rank them, the two diminutive playmakers hold a near-divine status in Argentina and are viewed more like Gods rather than athletes. As Ronaldo put it (see full interview below):

"Pele is number 1, without a doubt. Then come Messi and Maradona tied together."

The Rest of Ronaldo's Picks

Ronaldo concluded his interview by reeling off a list of other players that deserved a mention in the debate over the 10 greatest players of all time. He added:

"[Next] Zico, Romario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Van Basten , Zidane , Figo , Rivaldo , Ronaldinho Gaucho. A series of players. There are a lot of stars on this list, and I'm sure I'll be forgetting some. Every time someone asks me about this ranking, I make a different list. Only the first three are definitive [Pele, Messi, Maradona]."

He then proceeded to give a special mention to Neymar, who was this generation's answer to the Brazilian legends of a bygone era. "Neymar is a great player. He may be missing the World Cup, but he has won the Olympics, almost everything. But he is definitely in the top 10 too," he said after the skilful winger returned to boyhood club Santos.

"I don't know how many I mentioned, but he's in 9th or 10th, around there. All those guys are very close. All the players I mentioned have different characteristics, that's why football is wonderful."