French star Antoine Griezmann, the Atletico Madrid player, sparked widespread controversy after revealing his opinion on the historical controversy over the identity of the greatest player in the history of football, as his choice was unexpected and surprised millions of football fans around the world.
At a time when the discussion is usually limited to names such as Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pele, Griezmann surprised everyone by completely excluding Cristiano from his list, stressing that what is best for him is the French legend Zinedine Zidane.
The 2018 world champion’s statements came during a live broadcast interview with the famous Spaniard Ebay Llanos, with the participation of his Atletico Madrid teammate Julian Alvarez, during which he revealed his list of the five greatest players in history.
Griezmann said that Zidane occupies the undisputed first place, explaining that he was only seven years old when he witnessed his historic brilliance in the 1998 World Cup final, when Zizou led the France team to a 3-0 victory over Brazil thanks to his famous double against a team that included legends such as Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, and Rivaldo.
Lionel Messi ranked second on Griezmann’s list, while Diego Maradona came third, Johan Cruyff fourth, and David Beckham fifth, a ranking that sparked controversy due to the complete absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the list despite the two stars’ numerous confrontations in the Spanish League.
As for Argentine Julian Alvarez, his choices were more traditional, as he placed Lionel Messi at the top of his list as the greatest player in history, followed by Maradona second, Alfredo Di Stefano third, then Ronaldo Nazario fourth, and Cristiano Ronaldo fifth.
The selection of the two Atletico Madrid stars revived the eternal debate among the fans about who deserves the title of “the greatest in the history of football.” It is a topic that does not seem to end soon, and is subject to many criteria specific to every football fan around the world.
