Dutch newspaper voted Messi as the best player in football history

Cristiano Ronaldo is not even in the top five football stars that Voetbal has just voted and announced.

Voetbal International is a prestigious and long-standing Dutch football magazine, which first published its first issue in 1962. This newspaper has just conducted a meticulous poll, with six rounds, to create a list of the 100 best football players of all time.

According to the new results announced by Voetbal yesterday, June 8, Lionel Messi ranked first in the top 100, becoming the best player in football history. Behind the current Barca superstar is his compatriot legend Diego Maradona, the 1986 World Cup champion, a tournament in which Messi has never won the Cup.

Messi's being voted number one by Voetbal promises to cause controversy in the near future. Photo: VI.

The remaining three positions in the top five belong to legends Johan Cruyff (Netherlands), Pele (Brazil) and Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina and Spain), respectively.

Messi has never won the World Cup, but has won the Ballon d'Or five times - a feat that Cristiano Ronaldo could match later this year. The Argentine superstar is recognised for his brilliant club career, with 30 major and minor titles with Barca, in addition to the men's football gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Cristiano Ronaldo is not in the top five, despite his stellar career. In addition to his four Ballon d'Ors, the Real Madrid superstar has won the Champions League four times, three of which have come in the last four seasons. Last year, Ronaldo was also the main inspiration for a modest Portugal team to win Euro 2016.

In the 2016-2017 season, Ronaldo and Real Madrid won the double, La Liga and Champions League. In the Champions League last season alone, he scored 10 goals from the quarter-finals onwards and made a spectacular comeback when he surpassed Messi to win the top scorer title in this tournament.

According to VNE