Jamie Carragher omits Cristiano Ronaldo as he names 3 greatest footballers of all time

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has left Portugal and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d'Or awards, off his list of three greatest players of all time.

Carragher instead named Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi as his first choice. He also included former Argentina and Napoli forward Diego Maradona and former France and Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane on his list of all-time great players.

During a discussion with former Manchester United captain Roy Keane on Sky Sports, Carragher explained his preferences. He said:

"Messi, if Argentina win the World Cup, I think it would almost cement him in a lot of people's eyes as the number one."

He added:

"Maradona, for what he did in '86; I was a young kid watching it, and I couldn't believe what I was watching and then I would go Zidane."

He continued:

"I just think Zidane for what he did in the biggest moments; the World Cup final, the goal at Hampden in the Champions League final, his performance in the Euro 2000, which he won, was special."

Ronaldo is a glaring omission considering his personal accolades and club achievements. He has netted a whopping 700 goals and contributed 222 assists in 942 appearances for Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and Sporting CP.

A 2016 UEFA European Championship winner, the Portuguese striker has lifted 32 trophies for club and country. He's the record UEFA Champions League winner with five crowns and is also the all-time top-scorer (140 goals) in the continental competition. Ronaldo has also won the top-scorer award in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has been demoted to the bench at Manchester United in the ongoing campaign. Under new manager Erik ten Hag, he has started just four games, with only one coming in the Premier League. He has registered two goals and one assist in ten games this season.

Ronaldo is next expected to feature in his team's UEFA Europa League clash against Omonia at Old Trafford on Thursday (October 13).

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Antonio Cassano advises Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo to retire

Speaking to Cabine Desportiva (via Mirror), former Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano suggested that Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo should hang up his boots. He said:

"At this point, Cristiano should do himself a favour and understand that if you don't reach a certain level, you should close the shop. He won everything; he was a phenomenon. Stop! You have to stop, or you'll only run into the bench."

After failing to make a move away from Old Trafford earlier this summer, Ronaldo has dropped down the pecking order under Ten Hag.