Ronaldo Nazario names his 11 best players in the history of football
Former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus stars are among the 11 best players of all time, according to Ronaldo Nazario.
While most people tend to agree upon the best four or five players of all time, there’s still plenty of debate to be had around the other names who make up this list and where they rank in the all-time standings.
Ronaldo was recently asked by ESPN to name the best players of all time and these were the 11 names that he mentioned.
Pele
“Pele, number one, for sure,” is what Ronaldo immediately said when asked the question.
Given that R9 grew up in Brazil in the eighties, it’s no surprise that he holds Pele in such high esteem. While Ronaldo was too young to watch Pele play live, his legacy within the football world is still felt to this day.
For many Brazilians, Pele will always be the GOAT.
Lionel Messi
“He [Messi] is out of this world,” Ronaldo said during an interview in 2020.
“He’s great. I like him much more than any other [active] player. Everything he does is spectacular.”
Ronaldo has often spoken highly of the Argentine forward and it’s no surprise that he named Messi as one of the best players of all time.
Diego Maradona
While Ronaldo made it clear that Pele was his number one choice, he refused to separate Messi and Maradona, explaining that the two Argentine wizards are “tied together” in second place.
Given that Ronaldo was born in 1976, he would’ve seen Maradona in action during his formative years and it’s no surprise that the Argentine genius made such an impression on him.
Conversely, Maradona was always very complimentary of Ronaldo. In 2018, Maradona said: “If it were not for the injuries, he [Ronaldo] would have been the best of all time.”
Coming from Maradona, that’s quite the compliment.
Zico
Considered by many as one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time, Zico spent the majority of his career playing in his native country for Flamengo.
He did enjoy a brief stint in Europe with Udinese, but only spent two years playing in Italy before he returned to Brazil.
The attacking midfielder also earned 71 caps for Brazil and scored 48 goals on the international stage. Despite never getting his hands on the World Cup, he’s still considered one of the greatest players in the country’s history.
Romario
Ronaldo played a total of 19 games alongside Romario for Brazil and the pair combined for 12 goals during their time together.
It’s safe to say that during their playing days, they enjoyed a professional rivalry, especially when it came to the national team.
“In 1997, I was an important player already. I had already won the Ballon d’Or,” Ronaldo told Bobo TV during an interview in 2022.
“During the training retreat for the Copa America, Romario suddenly told me: ‘Get ready, we go out tonight, don’t worry.’
“He had prepared a ladder to climb over the hotel’s wall and there was a taxi waiting for us on the other side.
“We returned at five am and I was exhausted the following day in training. I understood that Romario did it on purpose to tire me out and take my spot in the starting XI.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo
While R9 omitted CR7 from his three greatest players of all time, he still holds the Portuguese forward in high regard.
“Cristiano has an incredible career, he has scored in every way possible and successfully adapted to different positions,” R9 told ESPN.
“He is undoubtedly one of the best, but not the greatest.”
Marco van Basten
There can be no denying that the three-time Ballon d’Or winner ranks among the greatest players of all time.
At club level, the Dutchman scored a whopping 283 goals in just 379 appearances for Ajax and AC Milan, averaging 0.75 goals per game.
Like Ronaldo, Van Basten had to cut his career short because of injuries.
Zinedine Zidane
During their time together at Real Madrid, Ronaldo played 139 games alongside Zidane and the pair combined for 31 goals during that time.
Considered by many to be the greatest midfielder of all time, it’s no surprise that the Frenchman made the cut in Ronaldo’s elite list.
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Luis Figo
Ronaldo shared a close bond with Figo during his playing days as the pair played alongside each other at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
In fact, throughout R9’s career, only Iker Casillas and Roberto Carlos played more games alongside him than Figo did.
The legendary Portuguese winger won 22 trophies throughout his career and undoubtedly ranks as one of the best players of his generation.
Rivaldo
The 1999 Ballon d’Or winner was also recognised by R9 as one of the best players of all time.
While they never played together at club level, they did make 46 appearances alongside each other when playing for the national team.
Ronaldinho
The last name that Ronaldo gave when naming the best players of all time was Ronaldinho.
A fellow Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner, this list would feel incomplete without the legendary attacking midfielder.
The pair made 39 appearances together for Brazil and won the World Cup and Copa America together.