Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has gone above Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to pick Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario, who was popularly known as El Fenomeno, as the greatest of all time (GOAT)

“Ronaldo, El Fenomeno,” Mourinho told LiveScore when asked who he thought was the greatest player ever. “Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers, they have remained at the top every day for 15 years. However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo.”

“When he was at Barcelona with Bobby Robson, I realised that he was the best player I’d ever seen take to the field. Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible,” the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager added.

Earlier, Ronaldo himself and his former Brazilian teammate Ronaldinho had revealed their favourite footballer. Both the World Cup-winners had chosen Messi ahead of Cristiano as the GOAT of the game.

Even though Ronaldo did not take the credit away from Cristiano and said that the Juventus forward is also “out of the world” like Messi, he believed the Argentine is a more complete player.

“He (Messi) is out of this world. Cristiano, too, but I see Leo as more complete. He’s great. I like him much more than any other player. Everything he does is spectacular,” the 43-year-old was quoted as saying on Sportbible.

Ronaldinho, on the other hand, declared Messi as “the best in history” but admitted that Ronaldo is also in the same league.

“He (Messi) is the best in history, no doubt. Nobody has done what Messi’s done. The other one [Ronaldo] is complete, he has it all. So does Messi, but it’s a question of taste and I prefer Messi’s style,” Messi’s former Barcelona teammate said.

Earlier, former Real Madrid and Manchester United player David Beckham had rated Lionel Messi higher than Cristiano Ronaldo. “He (Messi) is alone in his class as a player, it is impossible that there is another like him. He, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not at his level, are both above the rest,” ex-England international was quoted as saying by Telam.