NBA sensation, Notorious Irishman and former teammate make Rio Ferdinand’s list of top athletes

Rio Ferdinand has kept his ear to the ground.

The former Manchester United and England defender gave a considered response when asked to name the five greatest athletes in the world right now in a question and answer session this afternoon. https://twitter.com/rioferdy5/status/707907487870144512 Ferdinand's selections spread across four sports with the obvious footballers making the list. Ferdinand's former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who broke another record this week by becoming the fastest player in history to score 350 goals for a single club, was understandably given the nod. So too was the reigning Ballon d'Or holder Lionel Messi who would have been impossible to ignore. The fastest man on earth Usain Bolt was the first man who came to Ferdinand's mind and that's hard to argue with considering he's the first man to win six gold medals in sprinting at the Olympics. The next two spots were reserved for breakout stars who, just 12 months ago, you may not have expected to earn recognition from a star like Ferdinand. UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was namechecked, despite having just had his unbeaten UFC record besmirched by Nate Diaz. And the recent heroics of the Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry did not go unnoticed by Ferdinand who awarded him the final place on his list. Solid choices, you'd have to say.