Eric Cantona was a trailblazer as one of the first foreign superstars in English football. The Frenchman oozed quality on the pitch while having a larger-than-life personality off it. Never shying away from giving an opinion, the retired striker has never been in any doubt about the greatest player ever.
In the modern day, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are seen by many as the finest players to ever grace the hallowed turf. Cantona gave his thoughts on the debate well before the pair took the sport by the scruff of the neck and lifted 13 collective Ballon d'Or awards.
In 2006, the former Manchester United hero named his all-time 'perfect XI' and gave his opinion on each of the 11 players he selected. Going into detail about who he thinks is the greatest of all time, Cantona snubbed three-time World Cup winner Pele.
Brazilian former soccer star Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, better known as Pele, gestures as he holds the FIFA World Cup soccer ball Related
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Cantona Picked Diego Maradona Over Pele in GOAT Debate
'Maradona will always be the greatest'
At the time - almost two decades ago - the two frontrunners to be seen as the greatest talents the beautiful game has ever produced were Pele and Diego Maradona. The South American icons transcended the sport and were the original Messi vs Ronaldo debate in theory.
While acknowledging that most people favoured the Brazilian hero, who was the highest-scoring player in football history at the time, Cantona went against the grain and opted for Maradona. The Frenchman said: "Some say Pele was the greatest player of all time, but not me. Maradona will always be the greatest."
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Pele and Diego Maradona also rank highly, while just one defender cracks the top 10.
Going into more depth in his assessment of the two greats, Cantona claimed Maradona's importance to his team gave him a slight edge. He added:
"He [Maradona] won the World Cup in 1986, narrowly lost in the final in 1990 and then, in 1994, maybe would have won it again had he not been banned. The crucial difference with Pele is that Maradona wasn't surrounded by great players; he had to carry the team himself. If you took Maradona out of Argentina, they would not win the World Cup, but I think Brazil without Pele, would still have won."
While a lot has happened in the 19 years since Cantona's selection, it's extremely unlikely he will have changed his mind. Stating Maradona 'will always be the greatest' is definitive and now that the eccentric Argentine has passed away, his legacy in the game has only grown.