Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi feature in Thiago Silva's list of 10 toughest players he has faced

Chelsea star Thiago Silva has named the 10 toughest forwards he has faced in his career, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Silva is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the modern generation, having enjoyed successful spells at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. In an interview with Chelsea's official website, the Brazil international has ranked his 10 toughest opponents.

The list features current stars of the game like Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Retired attackers like Didier Drogba, Romario and Adriano also feature.

Thiago Silva named Barcelona star Lionel Messi as the toughest player he has ever played against. Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar round off the top three.

The race between Ronaldo and Messi continues 👊 pic.twitter.com/bg5Ct5DumA

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 14, 2021

Thiago Silva's list of 10 toughest attackers he has faced: Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappe, Didier Drogba, Roberto Firmino, Romario, Adriano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi

The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate rages on

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are regarded as two of the best footballers in the world

Regarded as two of the best footballers to have played the game, there is continuous debate as to who the better footballer is between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed success with clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Lionel Messi is regarded as Barcelona's greatest ever player.

The emergence of Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Braut Haaland has seen questions raised as to whether the Ronaldo-Messi era is coming to an end. Despite this, both superstars continue to be their respective clubs' most important player.

Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the top goalscorers this season in La Liga and Serie A respectively. However, Barcelona and Juventus have both been knocked out of the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus were surprisingly defeated by Porto. This has raised questions on whether Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo is the right man for the club, while the Portugal international has been linked with a return to Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, looks set to depart Barcelona in the summer once his contract expires. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the Argentine superstar.

Mbappe's message to both Ronaldo and Messi 🙏 pic.twitter.com/r4U0M8uHJK

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 13, 2021

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