Lionel Messi ranked in the Top 3 of Global Statistics' 100 Best Football Players of All Time; Cristiano Ronaldo entered the Top 10

T he debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has intensified lately due to a ranking that favors one of the two soccer legends while leaving the other far behind. But other prominent figures have also entered the fray.

The Global Statistics account published its Top 100 " Best Football Players of All Time ," and the final results caused quite a stir.

Messi, above Cristiano Ronaldo

The account, known for publishing lists of sports figures, sparked controversy by placing Leo in third place and Cristiano Ronaldo in fourth place on the list of the best players in soccer history.

The number one spot went to Pelé , the legendary Brazilian player who died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82, and revolutionized soccer in Brazil. He scored 757 goals in 812 official matches (1,283 goals in 1,367 matches if friendlies are included) and participated in four World Cups, winning three of them (1958, 1962, 1970).

Diego Maradona , the Argentine soccer legend, was ranked second . He scored a total of 358 goals in more than 720 official matches with his clubs and the Argentine national team. He died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60. He was crowned world champion in Mexico in 1986 and participated in three other editions: Spain 1982, Italy 1990, and the United States 1994. He also participated in South Africa 2010 as coach of the Argentine national team, of which Messi was a member.

After Leo and CR7, the top 10 on the list included: Johan Cruyff, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazário, Franz Beckenbauer, and Michel Platini.

Fans were quick to express their opinions: " Hard to argue with legends like Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, and Cruyff leading this list, they truly shaped football history ," said one. " I believe that peak to peak of a career no one is better than Ronaldinho. Just a freaking magician with the ball ," commented another. " I understand Pelé. Three-time World Champion. But Messi and Ronaldo should be in the top three ," said a third.

However, prior to that, the account had shared its Top 100 greatest athletes of all time , where Leo also ranked third , above CR7, who fell to 14th place in the table.

Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali occupied the first and second spots, Pelé was ranked 18th, and Maradona did not appear .

However, despite differing opinions on who the best athletes are, there is no denying that all of them have contributed to the history of soccer .