Lionel Messi has named Premier League duo Eden Hazard and Sergio Aguero amongst the top five players in world football.
The Barcelona forward had been discussing his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, the duo having won a joint-record 5 Ballon d’Or’s each, and also named the players he believed to be the world’s best.
Alongside Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and club teammate Luis Suarez, the 31-year-old named Chelsea’s Hazard and Manchester City’s Aguero in his top five.
‘It was nice to have Ronaldo in La Liga for the prestige he brought,’ Messi told 947FMRadio.
‘Excluding him [Ronaldo] and me, the best players in the world are Mbappe, Hazard, Suarez, Aguero and Neymar.’
Messi also admitted how he misses Ronaldo’s presence in La Liga, after his great rival left Madrid to join Italian champions Juventus last summer.
‘I miss Cristiano in Spain,’ Messi told Radio C5N.
‘It was lovely having him here, even though it annoyed me seeing him win so many titles. ‘It would be great if he was still here.’