The debate over football’s greatest-ever player has raged for decades, with Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo all holding a genuine case.

Ronaldo has never been shy about where he stands on the matter, and back in 2017, fresh off the back of his fifth Ballon d’Or, he made his feelings clear in typical Ronaldo fashion.

Maradona, who was present at the time, wasn’t about to let Ronaldo’s statement slide, and his response has gone down as one of the great put-downs in football punditry.

With the host of records and achievements Messi has gone on to claim since, the whole debate looks rather different these days, and arguably points to a very different conclusion than the one Ronaldo was pushing back then.

Ronaldo Crowned Himself the Best Ever

REUTERS/Darren Staples

After collecting his fifth Ballon d’Or in 2017, Ronaldo left no room for interpretation when discussing his own legacy. Speaking to France Football via Goal, he said:

“I’ve never seen anyone better than me. I have always thought that. No footballer can do the things I can. There’s no player more complete than me. I play well with both feet, I’m quick, powerful, good with the head, I score goals, I make assists. There are guys who prefer Neymar or Messi. But I tell you: there’s no-one more complete than me.”

It was classic Ronaldo, supremely confident and unwilling to entertain any rival claims to the throne, a stance he still holds today.

Maradona’s Brutal Reply, and Messi’s Case Since

Maradona, who has a claim of his own when it comes to being the greatest of all-time, wasn’t having any of it when AS asked him about Ronaldo’s comments shortly after. Upon learning that Ronaldo considered himself the greatest of all time, Maradona simply replied:

When pushed about where Ronaldo’s claim leaves Maradona, he doubled down, near-enough repeating the same line: “That’s why I said stop taking the p***.” He did soften slightly as the interview went on, calling Ronaldo “marvellous” and praising his reliability whenever his team needed him most, comparing that quality to the great Johan Cruyff.

Nearly a decade on, Messi has done more than anyone to settle the argument, winning the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and adding an eighth Ballon d’Or to his tally the following year, extending his own record and possibly ending all reasonable debate.

Around 19 years ago in 2007, tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer competed in an exhibition match with a twist.

The match, which was named ‘Battle of Surfaces’, pitted the two best players on their preferred surfaces to try and find out who was the better. The true tennis GOAT, if you will. Sorry Novak fans…

It was played in Mallorca and the incredible court, which had clay on one side and grass on the other, cost over £1 million to put together.

Federer was the world number one at the time and had won 48 successive matches on grass, whereas, Nadal hadn’t lost on clay for over three years.

Before the match, the Swiss star said: “We are both looking forward to this absolutely new event. The idea really appeals to me as we both dominate one of the surfaces. It’ll be fun to find out what it’s like to play on a court with mixed surfaces! And it ought to be interesting to see who chooses the better tactic.”

Video: Nadal vs Federer on 50-50 Surface

Nadal took the opening set 7-5 in front of 7,000 spectators, who were intrigued to see who would come out on top on the historic occasion.

The now 44-year-old Federer, who retired from the game a few years ago, bounced back, however, and took the second set 6-4 to set up a decider.

The match swung one way then the other before the Spaniard took the deciding set 12-10 in the tie-break to emerge victorious.

After his win, the King of Clay said: “It was a good experience, although before the game I thought it would be a disaster because I felt it would be very difficult for me to adapt to the court.”

In the years following the event, Nadal went on to win the French Open, which is the only Grand Slam on clay, a further 11 times, taking his overall tally to a stunning 14.

Federer, meanwhile, won the grass Grand Slam of Wimbledon a further three times, taking his haul to eight in total.

Whether you are Team Rafa or Team Roger, you can absolutely appreciate both of them and what they have both done for the sport of tennis as a whole.

With the two of them now both officially retired from the professional game, it’s a case of looking back and truly being thankful that they gave us one of the best rivalries in, not just tennis, but sport as a whole.

England are hours away from their Round of 16 clash with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium and one report has claimed they already know Thomas Tuchel‘s lineup for the game.

The Three Lions roared back in the second-half to beat DR Congo in their last World Cup outing, with Harry Kane producing another masterclass to overturn an early one-goal deficit.

Mexico arrives in brilliant form too, producing a tournament-best performance against Ecuador last time as the co-hosts harnessed the power of their exceptional home crowd to progress.

England’s ‘Leaked’ XI vs Mexico

England players pose for a team group photo before the match vs DR Congo via REUTERS/Paul Childs

However, Tuchel’s starting 11 has been supposedly ‘leaked’ by Football Insider, revealing several notable calls in attack, whilst sticking with the same defence that played in their win over the African country.

The big calls come in attack, with Anthony Gordon set to be rewarded for the substitute performance that saw him produce two assists for Kane and help England progress from a tricky situation.

Whilst on the other wing, Arsenal‘s Bukayo Saka will reportedly be reinstated to the lineup in place of Noni Madueke, who has struggled to truly impact proceedings.

At the back, it’s as you were. Fans were curious about the inclusion of Reece James after he missed the previous outing, but Djed Spence and Nico O’Reilly look set to continue.

Despite Declan Rice filling in at right-back against Congo, he starts in midfield with Elliot Anderson. According to Football Insider, anyway.

Alan Shearer Favours Gordon and Saka But Makes Big Call

If the ‘leaked’ lineup is to be believed, it would almost match former England striker Alan Shearer‘s favoured XI for the game — as he too agrees with the Saka and Gordon additions.

Where the two differ is in defence. With Spence starting the previous game, the Tottenham defender is in contention but came under criticism in both his starts against Ghana and Congo.

Shearer suggests that John Stones is reintegrated into the team to bring that calmness and experience, whilst Ezri Konsa is shifted to right-back to give England that added layer of security against a lively Mexico side. It’s a role that Konsa has played for Aston Villa as well as England, with Wales in late 2025 being the last example.

Right-back has been an issue for Tuchel given Tino Livramento was forced out of the squad, Jarrell Quansah suffered a knock and his first-choice right-back James was unavailable for the Ghana victory.

James missed the final session before Mexico but Quansah is available for selection, giving Tuchel some respite.