"For me, he was a real one" - Zlatan Ibrahimovic names his 3 greatest players of all time as Cristiano Ronaldo misses out

Legendary Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic omitted Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo when he was asked to name the three greatest players of all time. The 44-year-old surprisingly left out the five-time Ballon d'Or winner while naming his long-term archrival Lionel Messi as one of his three picks.

Widely regarded as one of the most prolific strikers of all time, Ibrahimovic had a stellar 24-year-long career. Playing for top European sides like Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, he racked up over 500 goals at club level and 62 goals in 122 caps for Sweden.

In a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Ibrahimovic named who he believed are the three greatest players of all time. The Swede said (via BolaVIP):

"In my opinion, Ronaldo 'The Phenomenon' Nazario (was the greatest ever) — he was soccer. He's the kind of player you want to imitate. I'll give the second position to (Diego) Maradona. For me, he was a real one — he did everything with his heart, with his emotions. For the third, I'm going to say (Lionel) Messi. He's won… I’m not sure there’s anything left for him to win."

Presently, Ronaldo plies his trade for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. Although he is set to turn 41 in four months, he has showed no signs of slowing down, having racked up five goals and an assist in six games this season.

"He is unique" - When Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked 'Fenomeno' over Cristiano Ronaldo

In a 2016 interview for ESPN Brasil, iconic Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed that he idolized Ronaldo 'Fenomeno' Nazario. He claimed that the Brazilian forward was the embodiment of football, labelling him as a 'genuine phenomenon'.

Playing for Premier League giants Manchester United at the time, Ibrahimovic also heaped praise on legendary attacker Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he placed the Portuguese captain below 'Fenomeno' in his all-time rankings, saying (via FIFA.com):

"I think Ronaldo 'Fenomeno'. For me he was an example of what football is. Everything he did was like 'wow'. The way he dribbled, the way he ran, the way he scored goals, he was a genuine phenomenon. What he did, I don't think anyone will do again. Because it was all natural to him, it wasn't anything constructed." "He wasn't designed... he was born to be what he was. It wasn't something he trained to become... He is unique. As for Cristiano, we didn't play together. He is different, because he's the fruit of a lot of training. He's not natural."

Although he suffered a multitude of injuries, 'Fenomeno' racked up over 400 goals at club level for world-class sides like Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also bagged 62 goals in 99 caps for Brazil, leading them to two FIFA World Cup titles.

Edited by Aaryan Nagraj