Antoine Griezmann weighed in on the eternal debate about who is the greatest player of all time — and his choice came as a surprise. While the discussion usually revolves around names like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Pele, Griezmann believes none of them hold the top spot.
The 2018 World Cup champion shared his picks during an interview with popular Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, joined by his Atletico Madrid teammate Julian Alvarez. Griezmann revealed his top five all-time greats, placing a fellow Frenchman, Zinedine Zidane, at the top.
Griezmann was only seven years old when Zidane led France to their first-ever World Cup title in 1998, starring in the final with a memorable brace in a 3–0 win over Brazil — a team loaded with legends like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Rivaldo.
What caught most people’s attention was that Griezmann named Lionel Messi second on his list but left Cristiano Ronaldo out entirely, despite having faced him numerous times throughout his career with Real Sociedad, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.
Rounding out his top five behind Zidane were Diego Maradona in third, Johan Cruyff in fourth, and David Beckham in fifth — a ranking that surprised many for its omission of the Portuguese star.
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Julian Alvarez’s picks
Argentina forward Julian Alvarez, who now shares the attack with Griezmann at Atletico Madrid, had no hesitation naming Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time. His top five also included two other Argentine legends: Diego Maradona in second place and Alfredo Di Stefano in third.
Alvarez completed his list with Brazil’s 2002 World Cup champion Ronaldo Nazario and, unlike Griezmann, included Cristiano Ronaldo in fifth place to round out his top five.
