Winner of the 2000 Ballon d'Or, Luis Figo, named the three greatest players in football history but snubbed eight-time Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi. Messi is widely viewed as the GOAT of the beautiful game, alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona.
No one has won the most prestigious individual award in the sport as many times as the Argentine, who last claimed the trophy off the back of winning the 2022 World Cup. However, despite his status as one of the best and his dominance in the European game, Figo was quick to leave him out of the conversation.
In a video published in 2019, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand sat down with multiple footballing legends to ask them for their picks for the greatest ever players, with the likes of Park Ji-sung, Didier Drogba and Roberto Carlos all giving their responses.
Included in the group was Figo, who revealed his top three picks:
"Pele. Another one is Eusebio. Portuguese. And the third, I'll choose our friend Cristiano, who is Portuguese too. Pele because what he meant for his generation. Eusebio too. Cristiano because right now, he is the best football player in the world."
Dubbed the King of Football, Pele made an impact as a teenager at the 1958 World Cup and never slowed down. He went on to win two more World Cups in 1962 and 1970, making him the only player in history to lift the trophy three times. Pele spent most of his club career with Santos, where he won numerous domestic and international honours, scoring over 1000 goals in official and unofficial matches.
As for Eusebio, the Portuguese forward starred for club and country winning the Ballon d'Or and the Champions League at Benfica while also starring for Portugal and leading them to their best ever World Cup finish of third in 1966, where he also finished top scorer.
Finally, Ronaldo has been defined by record-breaking achievements and remarkable consistency. He began at Sporting CP before moving to Manchester United, where he won three Premier League titles and the Champions League. At Real Madrid, he became the club’s all-time top scorer, securing four more Champions League titles and multiple domestic trophies. After successful stints at Juventus and a return to Manchester United, he moved to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
He currently stands as the greatest goalscorer of all-time as he looks to become the first player to score 1000 competitive goals in history.