“No one can come after him” - Ex-Al-Hilal star names footballer who was better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Modified Apr 05, 2025 15:15 GMT

Lionel Messi (left) & Cristiano Ronaldo (right) - (Image: All images from Getty)

Former Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Daee has named Argentina great Diego Maradona as the best footballer of all time ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He opined that the Inter Miami star is better than the Al-Nassr ace, but neither player comes close to Maradona.

Al-Daee said during the program "Dourina Ghair" on Saudi TV (via YsScores):

"I certainly love Cristiano, Messi, and any player who performs on the field."

"For me, Messi is better than Ronaldo, that is my opinion, and the best among them is Maradona, and no one can come after him," he added.

Maradona is widely regarded as the best player of his generation. The Argentine legend is considered one of the greatest players of all time by pundits, players, and managers, and by some as the best player ever. He notably led Argentina to glory during the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

In the same vein, Messi and Ronaldo are seen by many as two of the greatest players in the sport. The duo have a long-time rivalry having dominated the sport for the past two decades. The Argentine has won the Ballon d'Or eight times, while the Portuguese is a five-time recipient of the prestigious Golden Ball.

Former Uruguay striker picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in GOAT debate

Former Uruguay striker Sebastian Abreu recently weighed in on the never-ending GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in football debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He referred to the Argentine as the 'best player in the world'.

Abreu told TNT Sports (via Bolavip):

"Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? This one’s easy. There’s no complication, Messi. If I had played alongside Messi, I’d have 800 goals by now,” he joked.

“But I have 400 goals, and I’m probably exaggerating. You have to enjoy Messi. First, you have to enjoy facing the best player in the world.”

Messi and Ronaldo are well in the twilight of their careers, but their rivalry still rages on, and will likely continue even after they retire. Nevertheless, both players have etched their names in the history books as two of the best to grace the game.

The Inter Miami star has 855 goals and 381 assists in 1090 games, while the Al-Nassr ace is the all-time leading scorer in men's football with 931 goals and 257 assists in 1272 appearances.

About the author

Okenna is an football journalist at Sportskeeda. He has previously worked as a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia for 4 years, and as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria for around 2 years. As a successful modus operandi, he strictly sticks to publishing guidelines, double checks facts while writing, pays very close attention to details and prides himself on picking complex topics to write on.

A Chelsea fan, Okenna had his first tryst with Blues in 2006, after fellow countryman John Mikel Obi joined the west London club. He was immediately drawn to the brilliance of players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Didier Drogba.

Okenna is a huge fan of Lionel Messi for his exceptional talent. He also admires Jose Mourinho for his achievements with various clubs which proves he's a tactical and disciplined manger as well as a serial winner.

Some of Okenna’s prospective career landmarks include working as an international journalist and covering a FIFA World Cup game live from the stadium. When not writing, he loves watching, movies and reading books.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee