Alright guys, who do you guys think is the 3rd best players in the world after Messi and Ronaldo?

where the fck is salah?

Arghhhh, the one guy I said don’t forget I ended up forgetting. Is there a way to edit the poll?

Edit: I'll redo it all.

@amir nope :( we'll have to do another one :(

Here's the deal: We need to separate legacy and form. With all due respect to Messi and Ronaldo, they can't be the BEST in the world consistently. Messi can have/has had stretches where he wasn't at his best. Ronaldo... Well, I don't know to be honest. In my opinion, he hasn't looked like his best in a CONSISTENT manner since 2014, right before the world cup.

Look I get it those two will go down as two of the greatest of all-time and in my eyes they have created the greatest rivalry in sports... but you guys need to be objective around here.

Ronaldo isn't the second best at the moment. I love the guy. Extremely lethal. but no. not the second best. sorry.

Just my two cents folks...

@madridista Wait, who is the second best then for you? And who is the first? Is it Messi?

If I was doing it based on overall ability, it would go Ronaldo/Messi - then Neymar.

If we're doing it on yearly form, then swap Neymar for Salah I guess.

Same as Sun.

Also we should separate players based on wether they are forwards mids defence or goalkeeper. Kinda hard to judge whose better between say Messi, Ramos or De Gea.

Madridista11, that's your (very brave) opinion, but to the majority - you're wrong.

Ronaldo is the best. Messi second. Neymar third. After that, on current form, it's Salah and De Bruyne, with a fair gap down to the ones that follow. Bernardo Silva also needs to be on this list.

Third best is Ronaldo for me. Still have Messi at the top and Neymar as second. I don't think Ronaldo has been the best or second-best player in the world since late 2015. That was the season that was his turning point into a poacher, and I honestly don't feel comfortable giving a poacher the title of the best player in the world. I wouldn't do it with Lewandowski, so I won't do it with Ronaldo either. Neymar can influence the game far better than Ronaldo right now, so I give him the edge above Ronaldo.

Ronaldo decisively defeats all contest (by an almost frighteningly large margin), but it's really a toss-up on whoever you put next. Depends on an uncomfortable amount of circumstances and influences. The safe bet is probably Neymar at number two, and either Messi or Salah at number three.

@Dynastian98 No way Neymar is above Ronaldo for me. But I understand your analysis and your point of view. It make sense. Still would rather have Ronaldo on my team rather than Neymar. :)

@LuisFigo I dunno, he got 3 upvote, you got 3 upvote, wouldn't say he is wrong to the majority. :P

@Pepeee Ronaldo above Messi, I won't call bs for it, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I can be cool with it but Ronaldo large margin above Neymar and Messi as third, thats very excessive imo.

as more new players like kdb and salah come into play. I can't decide ronaldo or messi for 1st place still, but then if liverpool did really well in the final then I have no choice but to put salah up there as 1st.

I think we can't based everything on stats alone, remember when ronaldinho is no1 in 2006, he is not the top scorer and did not really have a good game in ucl final. but his influence can't be measured by numbers alone.

if it's in terms of skill alone, messi is 1st. not much player can go 1v3, maybe you can argue hazard and neymar come close tho. ronaldo is skillful but he is more of a finisher, penalty box player with an outstanding scoring rate. salah has started to show the potential of his skill but I don't want to get carried away from his 1st season.

for 4th place I can't decide between kdb and robben, I still think robben is influential to bayern at 33 years of age. as shown today ribery miss the partnership, not much player in their 30s would take on and run at defenders. this is hard because isco and modric come close too. isco lacks game time, he can be the next iniesta. cazorla, iniesta and isco has a very similar dribbling style close control.

LuisFigo Fair enough. I don't just go by stats or whateves "the majority" looks at. The past few years have been the least efficient and effective for Ronaldo at Madrid. How do I know? I've been watching Madrid play religiously since 2010 and I think NO ONE in their right mind thinks Ronaldo is number one.

What do you go by? The popular vote? I choose to come up with my own conclusion ;)

@Emo Tough. Probably Salah or De Bruyne.

@pepee I don't think by large margin. if it's by large margin, there won't be huge argument and discussion lol.

I went with De Bruyne since he does more for this team overall. Neymar has had a nightmare season and most of that is off field issues. Salah, while he did win EPL POTY, I still think more influence was with De Bruyne. Had he of had a closer number set to Salah, I think we would have won POTY.

Not trying to take anything away from Salah though. He sure did earn all the accolades he has been getting.

I think right after Messi and Ronaldo we have Neymar, Modrić, Salah, KDB and maybe Lewandowski + uninjured Neuer.

Ronaldo is still my 2nd best despite some players are probably better by 'ability', but his constant CL perfomances and goalscoring runs are best we have, so I wouldn't put him out yet.

I've been watching Madrid play religiously since 2010 and I think NO ONE in their right mind thinks Ronaldo is number one.

The vast majority of top journalists, as well as the best coaches and players on the planet, from four of the past five years, haven't been in their right mind. Jesus Christ, man. You can do better. Surely?

from four of the past five years

Ballon d'or is simply an award to the player with the best season, trophy-wise. Even Buffon by many was predicted to be top 3 or even win, if Juve managed to beat Real in the final last season (like wtf). Have to win CL these days to receive it.

Ronaldo doesn't strike me as a type of player who have won 4 of the last 5 ballon d'or whenever I see him play to be honest. He is of course very extreme/clinical at times, especially in CL. But, I never think to my self "wow, this guy is truly the world's greatest. This player is out of this world" etc. His goal numbers are impressive though, and that's about it really. A true goalscorer.

A little off topic there. But for me Neymar is the undisputed best player after Messi/Ronaldo, when not injured. This season though it got to be Salah for obvious reasons.

@LuisFigo A lot of those journalist, coaches and players think Messi is above Ronaldo as well though. There is not such thing as a majority when it come to Messi and CR7, its pretty much 50-50.

He is of course very extreme/clinical at times, especially in CL. But, I never think to my self "wow, this guy is truly the world's greatest. This player is out of this world" etc. His goal numbers are impressive though, and that's about it really.

Someone started watching football in 2015. If you don't consider Ronaldo one of the very best players to have lived, either you bleed ignorance or hatred. It's beyond question now that he is one of the 5 or 6 greatest players to have ever lived.