Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello has named his list of the greatest players of all time.
In Capello’s ranking, Lionel Messi is placed above Cristiano Ronaldo.
He believes that Messi is on the same level as the likes of Pelé and Diego Maradona, while Ronaldo is on par with the Brazilian great and his namesake, Ronaldo Nazário.
The former England manager told FlashScore that Messi and Ronaldo were not far apart, but he preferred the Argentine over the Portuguese superstar.
He said, “When someone claims that title, they mark it themselves, they’ve done their homework, they haven’t listened to others—I think they’ve exaggerated a bit.
“In short, they’ve played both the student and the teacher, haven’t they? A great player, built with desire and determination. But when I talk about true phenomena, I say Messi, I say Pelé, I say Maradona—and I put Ronaldo ‘O Fenômeno’ right next to them. He’s just a hair below.”
Back in 2024, Capello had stated at the Laureus World Sports Awards that Messi was the GOAT.
Capello once revealed that he wanted to sign Messi just 25 minutes after watching the youngster play for Barcelona in a pre-season match.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo recently claimed that he was the most complete player to have ever played football, putting himself above Messi, Pelé, Maradona, and others.