Cristiano Ronaldo told he's not the GOAT as former Man Utd favourite makes Lionel Messi point and mentions three legends who were 'talented in other ways' with debate raging on

The Al-Nassr forward declared he was the football GOAT last month as he inches closer to 1,000 goals in the game. However, former United defender Stam believes he is not deserving of that title and the likes of Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, and Johan Cruyff must also be considered.

He told SpaceportSweden.com: “I cannot agree with Cristiano Ronaldo that he is the best player of all time. You have to consider Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, Johan Cruyff and other players who are talented in different ways. Ronaldo is of course up there with the best players of all time, even at the age of 40 he is playing at a high level and is so fit and is still scoring goals. It’s unbelievable the level of football that he is still at and he deserves a lot of credit, he built up his career in Portugal and went to the UK, Spain, you name it. He has written history and changed how he plays during his career. Having said that, I can’t agree that he is the best player in history. A lot of people prefer Lionel Messi but you have to have respect for Ronaldo and what he has brought to the world of football. He has such a presence and is up there with the best ever.”

Ronaldo and Messi are certainly the greatest players of their generation and will go down as all-time greats in the sport. But stating an outright GOAT is difficult, especially when players from different eras didn't play against each other and had to deal with different opponents, conditions, and other factors.

Ronaldo, 40, could add to his goal tally when Portugal take on Denmark in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final on Thursday.