Ronaldo Nazario Once Named 8 Greatest Football Players Ever, Excluded Cristiano Ronaldo

• Legendary Brazilian forward Ronaldo Nazario once named eight football superstars he deemed as in a 'special group'
• The former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid star overlooked Cristiano Ronaldo but included Lionel Messi
• Cristiano Ronaldo endured a torrid time at Euro 2024 in Germany as he exited without scoring a single goal

Ronaldo Nazario once overlooked Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo when discussing the greatest football players of all time (GOAT).

The Brazilian legend referred to a 'special group' comprising some of the finest in the history of the game yet did not include the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

It is worth noting that Ronaldo is currently enjoying a remarkable run of form, having contributed a significant number of goals for Al-Nassr in the concluded Saudi Pro League season.

The Real Madrid legend also contributed five goals for Portugal in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers, according to Transfermarkt, but failed to score in the tournament itself only managing one assist.

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Ronaldo Nazario snubs Cristiano on 'GOAT' list

Despite this, Ronaldo Nazario - the Brazilian Ronaldo - did not find space for his namesake on a list of eight players he considers as part of a truly exceptional group among the all-time greats.

He told the Guardian in an interview in 2022:

"I think there is a very, very special group where you have Diego [Maradona], [Lionel] Messi, [Johan] Cruyff, [Franz] Beckenbauer, Pelé, [Marco] Van Basten, Ronaldinho."

Nazario also included himself on that list of football greats.

"Let the fans say, let them debate it in the bars. But you can’t rank them, can’t compare generations."

While there is no disputing the players the Brazilian icon selected, there are some significant omissions in his list - the most notable being Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, players such as Michel Platini, Alfredo Di Stefano, Zinedine Zidane, George Best, and Ferenc Puskas may understandably feel overlooked by R9.

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Ronaldo, the Greatest Real Madrid No. 9

In an earlier publication, Briefly News reported that Cristiano is among the greatest Madrid's number 9 player in history.

While the legendary football icon is primarily associated with the number seven jersey, the Portuguese forward wore the number nine during his debut season with Real Madrid.

Source: YEN.com.gh