Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo shockingly failed to feature alongside Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the five best players of all time discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Ronaldo’s illustrious playing career has seen him catapulted as one of the frontrunners for fans’ so-called GOAT debate involving the likes of Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has won an impressive 32 trophies in his career for club and country, including the 2016 Euro title and five Champions Leagues.
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Ronaldo, who was axed by Manchester United after his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, is hoping he can lead Portugal to the World Cup title in Qatar.
And a World Cup triumph for either Ronaldo or Messi could see them strengthen their respective positions in the long-running GOAT debate in football.
Messi, who is potentially playing at his final World Cup, is widely regarded by many fans as the best player of all time after a legendary career at Barcelona.
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During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, computer scientist and AI researcher Lex Fridman spoke to the UFC legend about football’s five best players.
However, Fridman revealed that Portugal star Ronaldo would not make his top five and he rated Brazil legend Ronaldo ahead of the former United and Real Madrid star.
“It has to do with movement, and it has to do with where you put priorities,” he told Joe Rogan.
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“The other people in the running for greatest ever -- I don’t even think Ronaldo’s in the top five -- Maradona, Pele... I think the Brazilian Ronaldo [Nazario] is better than Cristiano.
“Cristiano is much better looking, he’s much harder working, he’s an incredible soccer player, one of the greatest ever, just not in the top five for me.”
According to Fridman, Messi’s movement is “like nothing I have ever seen” and he believes the Paris Saint-Germain star is far superior to Ronaldo.
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“Messi moves like nothing I have ever seen, and I think a lot of people agree with this,” he added.
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“It’s just moments of genius unlike anybody else. This everybody agrees on. The question is how much do you value moments of genius in terms of movement?
“How many things you’re able to create, they’re like what the f**k did I just watch? I value that above all else.”
Featured Image Credit: The Joe Rogan Experience/AlamyTopics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joe Rogan, Football