Jose Mourinho picks his top 3 footballers of all time

In an interview with SportBible, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho picked the three greatest footballers of all time.

When asked to make his pick, Mourinho said, "For me, the top three players in history are Messi, Pele and Maradona."

Jose Mourinho omitted the likes of Brazilian icon Ronaldo and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from his top three picks.

Jose Mourinho has managed some of the biggest teams in Europe during his 20-year career as a manager. Mourinho has managed Chelsea, Inter Milan, Porto, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and is currently the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Jose Mourinho, during his time at the top of Europe, has managed some of the greatest players to have played the modern game such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Mourinho has previously picked Ronaldo Luis Nazario as the greatest footballer to have ever played the game, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

When speaking about the Brazilian Ronaldo, Mourinho was quoted saying, "Ronaldo is the best. The best in the world, yes. Probably the best ever."

Brazilian R9 ❌Cristiano Ronaldo ❌Despite working with both Ronaldo's, neither player made Jose Mourinho's top three... 👀😳 https://t.co/cBQhAPKTBD

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 22, 2020

Mourinho includes Messi but snubs Cristiano Ronaldo in his list

Jose Mourinho thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best footballers ever but does not include him in his top three.

Mourinho's omission of Cristiano Ronaldo came as a surprise since he worked with the five-time Ballon D'or winner during his three seasons in charge of Real Madrid. Mourinho won the La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, and a Copa Del Rey while Ronaldo was playing under him.

When talking about Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013, Jose Mourinho labelled Ronaldo as the best in the world. The Portugal captain has praised Mourinho and in an interview said, "I have played for so many great coaches, but Jose Mourinho was a big thinker analytically, he went into everything in detail."

Jose Mourinho on where Cristiano Ronaldo stands in world football: "He is on a level where he does not need these questions & answers. He is one of the best players of all time. Nobody can tell different than that. He is one of the best of all time. It is as simple as that." pic.twitter.com/K0Lwdijjy9

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) October 22, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo is even open to the idea of working with Jose Mourinho in the future.

"Work with Mourinho again? Why not? I would put him at the top, I always say that," said Ronaldo.

Mourinho has always been known for his strong opinions and boldness in his statements. His Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo may not be too pleased at his omission from Mourinho's list, but will be more focused on matching Lionel Messi's six Ballon D'ors to cement his place as one of the greatest footballers to ever play the sport.