Back in 2019, Lionel Messi named the five players who he believed were the best in the world at that time, but where are all of those stars today?

To make things fair, Messi didn’t include himself in the list and he also chose to omit Cristiano Ronaldo as they were both a level above the competition at the time.

We’ve revisited Messi’s interview with Marca and have checked out where the five players that he named are today.

Eden Hazard

In terms of dribbling and being able to kill a defender with the drop of a shoulder, Hazard is arguably the most similar player to Messi on this list.

Prior to his move to Real Madrid, there was no doubt that the Belgian ranked among the best players on the planet.

“It is very difficult to replace Cristiano, but Hazard is also a great player,” Messi told Marca.

“Hazard has a lot of quality. He is a different football player who can unbalance [defences], but I think he is different to Cristiano, with different characteristics.”

Ultimately, his blockbuster move to the Santiago Bernabeu didn’t go to plan and he ended up hanging up his boots after a four-year stint in Spain.

Since retiring last year, Hazard has kept a relatively low profile, although he has taken part in several charity matches where he showcases the skills that he’s still got.

Sergio Aguero

Around the time Messi named Aguero as one of the best players in the world, the Argentine forward was scoring week in, week out for Manchester City.

He bagged an impressive 32 goals during 2018-19 and helped Pep Guardiola’s side land yet another Premier League title.

While injuries started to take their toll on Aguero during his later years, he still knew how to sniff out the goals on a weekly basis.

Following a short stint with Barcelona, Aguero retired in December 2021 on the advice of doctors.

Nowadays the 36-year-old enjoys life as a content creator and of course, he’s still good mates with Messi.

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Luis Suarez

Having enjoyed their peak years playing together at Barcelona, Suarez and Messi are still going strong today for Inter Miami.

The pair combined for 11 goals in MLS last season and their relationship on and off the pitch is still as strong as ever in 2024.

“It is difficult to compare him with all the scorers I have played with,” Messi said during an interview in 2015.

“There have been many. What I can say is that he is the best central striker today.

“He has a lot to offer the team and it’s a pleasure to play alongside him. We have a good relationship even outside the field and I am happy to share everything with him.”

Neymar

The Prince who never became King.

Tipped by many to take over from Messi and Ronaldo as the best player in the world, for one reason or another, that didn’t quite happen for Neymar in the end.

However, it would be wrong to suggest that Neymar hasn’t enjoyed an excellent career. When fully fit, there aren’t many players who have reached Neymar’s level in the last 20 years.

Messi enjoyed a brief reunion with the Brazilian at PSG before they each went their separate ways in 2023.

Having barely kicked a ball since joining Al Hilal, his future is up in the air heading into the summer when he’s set to become a free agent.

READ: 6 fantastic footballers who have grown up idolising Neymar: Rodrygo, Musiala…

Kylian Mbappe

Messi has often spoken fondly of Mbappe, especially when the pair played together at PSG.

Still considered as the best player in the world by some people today, Mbappe is undoubtedly among the best players of his generation.

While it’s taken him some time to find his feet at Real Madrid, there’s a feeling amongst La Liga fans that the Frenchman is now starting to find his top gear.

Having scored five goals in his last seven matches, Mbappe is quickly converting the doubters into believers.

Max Verstappen thinks Red Bull can forget about winning any championship in Formula 1 next year if it does not make good progress with its RB21 car.

While the Dutchman celebrated his fourth consecutive drivers’ title with Red Bull in 2024, he is well aware that success owed much to a dominant start to the campaign that gave him a comfortable buffer in the standings.

And it was the team’s subsequent dip in form that opened the door for McLaren to snatch the constructors’ crown for the first time since 1998.

While Red Bull did rediscover some form in the closing stages of the year, Verstappen acknowledged the competition is now so close that his outfit needs to take a good step forward for 2025.

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Speaking about the prospects for next year in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Verstappen said: “If we continue like this, I won’t be champion next year. It’s as simple as that. We really need to make steps to be competitive next season. We all know that.

“I trust the team that they can fix the balance issues from last season. Certain things that we couldn’t adjust last year will be changed for next year.

“We know that we need to be better over the kerbs, bumps and in the slow corners. Those are generally our weaknesses. If we are still beaten then, it will be based on pure speed.

“I always keep the pressure on, also on myself. I try not to think too lightly about things. At one point the car was barely driveable. There was no more to get out of it than this.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen also revealed in the interview how his own input into the characteristics of the car at the Italian Grand Prix helped steer development of the RB20 back on track following the mid-season wobbles.

“All plans for new parts, which were to come after that [race in Monza], could be thrown into the bin,” he said. “The team actually started from scratch after that. Before that, they couldn’t find the exact problem.

“I saw a couple of graphics when we were looking at the data. I saw certain aerodynamic shifts in how we entered the corners, turned into corners and also in terms of ride heights.

“It was different from last year’s car. I said, ‘Hey, it’s very clear that this and this is the problem, isn’t it?’ That turned out to be right, I heard later on.

“I hadn’t seen those lines and those graphics before. I then said that it was quite clear what we had to work on, because the engineers obviously know exactly what had been changed from last year’s car.

“At the beginning of last season we were still winning our races convincingly, but I felt even then that the balance of the car did not feel the way I wanted it to.

“But, back then, we still had a big lead over the other teams, who might not have had a very good winter.”

Verstappen also had a cheeky dig at rivals, suggesting that some of their success was down to using tricks.

“Things happened in the background that meant we had no chance at all in certain races,” he said. “I know that for sure, but no one will ever admit that.”

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording

Legendary music sensation 2Face has responded to Football Mysterio Mikel Obi on the ongoing verbal exchange between the two with another post stating that the best is for everyone to be humble because nobody is sure of tomorrow.

According to 2Face “After I understood that anything can happen: sickness, d£ath, lose my voice (job) Literally anything in the blink of an eye, I became very humble. Tables turn and that is how crazy life can get.

I come from a poor family background, humility is my attraction”