'I've played with Ronaldo and against Messi - they would not make my top 5 list'

Luka Modric has controversially left Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi out of his top five greatest players of all time. The 40-year-old midfielder shared the pitch with Ronaldo at Real Madrid for six seasons but the Portuguese superstar still failed to earn a spot on Modric's exclusive list.

Modric holds the rare honour of being one of just two players to claim the Ballon d'Or during Ronaldo and Messi's stranglehold on the prestigious award between 2008 and 2023. However, Modric also opted against including himself or his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema in his top five.

The endless argument over whether Ronaldo or Messi is the better player has dominated football conversations for nearly two decades. Some fans believe Ronaldo's remarkable goalscoring achievements settle the debate, while others prefer Messi's magical touch and creativity. Despite the fierce competition that emerged when Ronaldo and Messi competed in La Liga, it is widely acknowledged that both rank among the greatest to have ever graced the beautiful game. Yet Modric holds a different opinion.

The current AC Milan midfielder was challenged to select his five greatest players and snubbed several household names. Rather than choosing Ronaldo and Messi, Modric favoured his boyhood heroes.

When asked by content creator to name his five greatest players, Modric responded without much hesitation: "Maradona, Francesco Totti, Ronaldo [Nazario], Zvonimir Boban...Zizou."

Modric isn't alone in believing Diego Maradona is the greatest player in the sport's history. His former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and legendary Brazilian forward Ronaldo could also easily feature in supporters' all-time top five selections. Yet Modric's choice to include Roma icon Totti and Croatian football legend Zvonimir Boban, who starred for Milan and guided his nation to third place at the 1998 World Cup, will certainly turn heads, especially given it comes at the cost of Ronaldo and Messi.

Modric's exclusion of Messi is surprising, considering the former Tottenham midfielder's comments following Croatia's World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina in 2022. Messi had scored from the penalty spot and assisted Julian Alvarez to help book Argentina's place in the final.

"I hope [Messi] wins this World Cup, he is the best player in history and he deserves it," Modric said.

It is not the first time Modric has overlooked both Ronaldo and Messi when presented with such a challenge. The Croatia captain even delivered a tongue-in-cheek apology to Ronaldo, alongside whom he claimed three Champions League crowns at Madrid, after not selecting him in his dream six-a-side squad last year.

Modric was presented with various options across goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack by Icons.com. He selected former Real shot-stopper Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini in defence, alongside Maradona and Zidane in midfield.

This left Modric with just one remaining spot in attack, yet neither Ronaldo nor Messi were his first choice. "For me, between [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Ronaldo [Nazario]," he explained.

"I played with one, but this one [the latter] was my favourite growing up. I fell in love with his game and... wow. And others are also... Romario, Messi, Pele, but I go with Ronaldo [Nazario]."