Darren Bent Snubs Ronaldo, Names 3 Greatest Players of His Era

• Lionel Messi led Argentina to win the World Cup, the only trophy missing from his career
• This triumph has led to many naming him the GOAT - apart from a few Ronaldo fanatics
• A former Premier League striker has given his thoughts on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate

The aftermath of Lionel Messi leading Argentina to win the World Cup on Sunday, at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, will not end anytime soon.

Messi has been widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, but his lack of international trophies before 2021 had placed a stigma on him.

18 months later and he has three - including the Copa America and 2022 World Cup.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner can now lay claim to his GOAT status with enough evidence to back it up beyond reasonable doubt, and this has led many to come out and name him the greatest - whether of all-time or just his era.

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Former Premier League striker Darren Bent is the latest among high profile football personalities to speak on the viral debate, which has more talking points after Messi helped Argentina to its first World Cup title since 1986.

What Darren Bent said

The former Tottenham and Sunderland striker, who scored over 100 Premier League goals, took to Twitter to share a list of his top five players in his era, specifically the ones he watched.

He acknowledged icons Pele and Diego Maradona, both of whom were already approaching the end of their careers before Bent was born.

"The best of my era. I know Pele and Maradona are icons, but I'm talking people I've seen

Bent then listed his selections from one to five: Messi first, followed by Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo (CR7) and Ronaldinho.

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His choice of Ronaldo Nazario and Zidane over the Portuguese superstar sparked numerous comments.

@the_one_jed said:

"Is just hilarious. On what logical basis have you put R9 and Zidane ahead of CR7? Messi’s the best there ever has been but you people just be hating"

@Aladin45922836 added:

"Stop this [expletive] Darren. It’s arguable that Messi and Ronaldo are GOAT’s for a reason. If you’re choosing Messi, the natural next is Ronaldo. R9, Zidane cannot lace CR7 boot."

Another tweeted:

"Fixed Your List. 1. Messi 2. CR7 3. Ronaldinho 4. Zidane 5. R9"

Fans comment on Messi lookalike

Sports Brief earlier reported that Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has drawn comparisons with Messi for the way he plays football, with many fans mistaking the two during the World Cup.

Mac Allister shares similarities with the veteran in height, body build, ball movement and technique, with the only differences being they don't look too much alike and use different feet.

The 23-year-old Argentine is already attracting interest from top clubs, with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid reported to want him.