Gary Lineker rates Messi, Neymar and Kane ahead of Ronaldo

Reuben Pinder

It’s hard to argue with him.

Gary Lineker has openly expressed his view that Lionel Messi is the best footballer on the planet, hailing him as the greatest of all time on many occasions.

He's only gone and scored a hat-trick. If Messi is not the GOAT then I'm a fucking chicken.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 11, 2017

It’s not exactly a controversial statement, although for some reason, there are still people who will argue that Cristiano Ronaldo is superior.

In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Lineker was asked about which of the two players he preferred. “I like Cristiano a lot, but Messi is from another world.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s lack of form this season has been a hot topic, with many fans declaring him finished at the top level and rumours of a move away from Madrid surfacing. Is he even the second best player in the world now? Mundo Deportivo then asked Lineker whom he preferred between Ronaldo and Neymar.

“Neymar, but when he played at Barcelona. Neymar is the future, Cristiano has been great”, he replied.

It didn’t stop there. Lineker’s admiration for Tottenham star Harry Kane is also no secret, and he told the newspaper that “for the future”, he would prefer Harry Kane to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The interview did eventually move on from this topic, to the subject of Real Madrid’s poor form, for which Lineker cannot see an explanation. “I’m surprised, I do not know what happened with Real Madrid this season because last season, they won almost everything. It’s hard to explain, confidence is very important for the players, maybe some players are a bit older, I don’t know if that’s it.”

The former Spurs, Leicester, Barcelona and England striker was back in Barcelona for an award ceremony held by the newspaper where he won the ‘Trofeo Extraordinario’, roughly translating to ‘extraordinary award’.