The Spanish newspaper ranked the best footballers of all time.
In October 2024, Marca put up its list of the six greatest footballers of all time. But apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – who else came along?
Messi (37) and Ronaldo (40) are often compared by fans and are widely considered the two best players of all time. With a total of 13 Ballon d’Or titles between them (eight for Messi and five for Ronaldo), they underpin their candidacy as the greatest of all time.
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Not surprisingly, the list included South American icons Pelé and Diego Maradona – with four World Cup titles in total.
Messi topped the list, followed by Ronaldo in second place. Pelé came third, but it wasn’t Maradona in fourth.
Instead, the Spanish media chose former Real Madrid striker Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Di Stéfano, who died at the age of 88 in 2014, is considered one of Los Blancos’ greatest players ever, with 306 goals in 392 appearances for the club between 1953 and 1964.
Maradona finished fifth, while Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands icon Johan Cruyff took sixth.
Marca wrote: “In the ‘Big Six’, everyone has an incredible track record. Messi has won more than anyone else, and that’s why he gets the honor of being recognized as the greatest of the greatest.”
As a result, Messi received an award called the “MARCA America Award”.
With Ronaldo and Messi at the top – what have they themselves said about the debate about who is the greatest?
“I checked recently and although I’m not left-footed, I’m among the top 10 left-footed goalscorers in history,” Ronaldo told El Chringuito TV earlier this year.
“And with my head, with my right foot, and on penalties – everything. I think I’m the most complete player that ever existed. I do everything well in football: headers, free kicks, left foot. I’m fast, I’m strong.”
“Taste is one thing – if you prefer Messi, Pelé or Maradona, I understand and respect that. But to say that Ronaldo is not complete… I am the most complete. I have not seen anyone better than me, and I say it from the heart.”
Of course, there are statistics to back up both players – but Messi has won the World Cup, while Ronaldo only has the European Championship (Euro 2016) at national team level.
What has Messi said on the subject?
The Inter Miami star has rarely given direct answers about the GOAT debate, but during an interview with PAPER in 2018, he said:
“I don’t consider myself the best, I think I’m just one more player. On the pitch, we’re all the same when the game starts.”
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