"Unbelievable player" - When Phil Foden snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while naming the best player he had seen

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden once snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he named his best player.

Ronaldo and Messi are widely regarded as two of the best players to have graced the beautiful game. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, they are still going strong, having scored over 800 goals for club and country.

Having played for some of the best clubs in the sport and won individual and team accolades galore, both superstars are now out of Europe. While Ronaldo is at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Messi plies his trade for Inter Miami in the MLS.

Foden, though, ignored both legends as he named his club teammate Kevin De Bruyne the best he has ever seen. The TCL ambassador said in a September 2022 interview (as per Four Four Two):

"Wow, that's so difficult. When I was watching football and growing up I loved David Silva but seeing Kevin De Bruyne every day in training, the things he does! Unbelievable player; probably the best player I've ever, ever played with.

"Oviously, I was very young when I got scouted (by Manchester City) and ever since I trained, I just fell in love with the club. I loved watching David Silva who, became my idol, and I've been here ever since."

He added:

"I think just watching football on the TV, seeing big players play football and I just wanted to be like them. I used to go to the park to play every day wishing I could be one of them one day."

Foden, 23, has won laurels galore at City, including five Premier League and a UEFA Champions League, and is widely regarded as one of the finest young players in the world.

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How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared in 2024?

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have started the year well for their respective club sides.

Following back-to-back hat-tricks, Ronaldo, 39, is up to 12 goals and one assist in 10 games across competitions for Al-Alami in 2024. Messi, 36, meanwhile, has five goals and two assists in five games across competitions for the Herons.

Interestingly, both Ronaldo's and Messi's sides are second in their respective league. While Al-Nassr trail runaway SPL leaders Al-Hilal (74) by 12 points with eight games remaining, Inter Miami are a point behind Cincinnati in the MLS Eastern Conference, having played a game more.