"Even if I'm picking a team that is balanced, I'd still pick Ronaldo" – Gary Neville dismisses Mohamed Salah claim from Jamie Carragher

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has insisted that ex-Red Devils star Cristiano Ronaldo should be named in the all-time Premier League team ahead of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

During a recent interaction on the It's Called Soccer podcast, Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher was asked if Salah is deserving of a spot in the all-time Premier League starting XI. He replied (h/t liverpool.com):

"He 100 per cent starts. At the end of this season, he is going to be the PFA Player of the Year. We all agree on that. No player in history has won the PFA Player of the Year award three times. It's never been done before. We are talking about an absolute legend of our game... not just Premier League, but all time."

Disagreeing with the ex-Reds centre-back, Neville shared his two cents:

"Salah is in that class but if I'm looking at a team of 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, I'm thinking Ronaldo, [Alan] Shearer, [Thierry] Henry, [Wayne] Rooney... the best players I've played with up front. Ronaldo is one of the best players to have played the game and ever lived. He played in the Premier League for five or six years and that's a long enough sample of evidence. He deserves to be in that mix."

Revealing why the Egyptian should be overlooked, Neville concluded:

"Salah should be in the conversation but Shearer is the greatest goalscorer, Henry would be the left, and Ronaldo on the right. He played quite a lot of times on the right wing for Manchester United in front of me and Shearer or Henry could be up front but that would mean someone would need to be on the left. Even if I'm picking a team that is balanced, I'd still pick Ronaldo on the right."

How has Mohamed Salah fared this season?

Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Mohamed Salah has been in scintillating form. He has scored a staggering 30 goals and registered 22 assists in just 39 matches in all competitions for Arne Slot's side this term.

In the Premier League, the former Chelsea winger has produced 25 goals and 17 assists in 28 matches this season. He has contributed 182 goals and 86 assists in 291 joint Premier League games for Liverpool and Chelsea.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, found the back of the net 103 times and contributed 39 assists in 236 Premier League matches in two stints.