Carlo Ancelotti Rejects Messi GOAT Claim Despite World Cup Win

• Carlo Ancelotti waded into the GOAT debate by omitting Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
• Ancelotti was not moved by Messi's latest success and his country winning the World Cup
• The widely successful manager says Karim Benzema is a player who deserves a shoutout

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has refused to acknowledge Lionel Messi as the best player of all time.

Messi is thought to have put the GOAT debate to rest after he led Argentina to World Cup glory on December 18 in Qatar.

But the Paris-Saint Germain star is yet to convince the veteran Ancelotti. As Goal reports, the Los Blancos chief mentioned three other players he thinks are better than the 35-year-old.

"It's hard to say. He's a great footballer. His career is spectacular but if he's the best in history, I don't know because each era has had very important players. Saying that he's been the best in history isn't going to come out of my mouth," said Ancelotti.

Zanetti reveals why Maradona, not Messi, is Argentina's GOAT

Football

He then mentioned Karim Benzema, Diego Maradona and Johann Cruyff as some of the better players in his eyes.

Benzema and Ancelotti's relationship

Benzema enjoyed a stellar campaign under Ancelotti, that saw him crown it with a Ballon d'Or award. They beat Messi's PSG in the Champions League round of 16, on their way to winning a record 14th crown.

Fans were also quick to note that Ancelotti did not mention Cristiano Ronaldo, despite working with him during his first stint in Spain. The Portuguese star has often been considered the closest rival to Messi's dominance.

Klopp disagrees with Ancelotti

Messi has many fans, Sports Brief reported, and Liverpool’s manager is definitely one of the Argentine’s numerous supporters with his latest admission.

The veteran striker, who has been compared to some of football’s greatest players like Pele and Maradona, recently won the elusive FIFA World Cup for the first time in his career.

Jurgen Klopp has now declared Messi the greatest player he has come across in his lifetime, after witnessing the 35-year-old win the Mundial with Argentina.