When asked to name his four greatest athletes of all time, Rio Ferdinand didn’t include either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo are often at the forefront of the GOAT debate (greatest of all time), which has sparked many heated discussions.

After six years of playing together at Old Trafford, Ferdinand left for Real Madrid in 2009. Before his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Ferdinand had supported Ronaldo in the Erik ten Hag dispute as a former teammate.

Last year, after the explosive interview, he said, “You can’t sit here and defend that from Cristiano Ronaldo.” In my heart of hearts, I know that all of this has been orchestrated with the sole intention of forcing him out of the club.

In my opinion, Cristiano’s romance with Man United is officially over. I don’t think the club will accept him back, and I don’t think he wants to come back, so I don’t see a way back.

All of this is manufactured with that end in mind. Before this interview, I would have stood up for him and said the club should do a better job of communicating.

A month after Ronaldo’s explosive interview, the World Cup took place, and many fans believe Messi finally put an end to the GOAT discussion with his performance. Assisting Argentina in winning their third title was the cherry on top of a long and successful football career.

But even that isn’t enough to convince Ferdinand that Messi should be considered the greatest athlete of all time. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the 44-year-old took a more global perspective when selecting his top four.

“Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer,” Ferdinand listed as his favorites.