Gary Lineker Names the 3 Players He Thinks Are Better Than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo

Gary Lineker has expressed his belief that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Harry Kane are now better players than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former striker turned pundit played for Barcelona in the 1980s, so it is hardly surprising that he has a preference for Messi.

There has long been a debate as to which of Messi and Ronaldo is the better player, although the latter's underwhelming form in La Liga this season has led to suggestions that he could be on the decline.

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"I like Cristiano a lot, but Messi is from another world," said Lineker when asked by Mundo Deportivo to give his verdict.

Asked to then choose between Ronaldo and Neymar, he added: "Neymar, but when he played in Barcelona. Neymar is the future, Cristiano has been great."

And Lineker also claimed that Tottenham striker Kane, who has continued his prolific rate of scoring in the Premier League this season, is set to surpass Ronaldo.

"For the future, Kane!'' he said.

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Lineker admitted he was surprised at Real Madrid's poor form this season, with Zinedine Zidane's side sitting in fourth place in La Liga, 19 points behind leaders Barcelona.

"I'm surprised, I do not know what happened with Real Madrid this season because last season, they won almost everything," he said.

"It's hard to explain, confidence is very important for the players, maybe some players are a bit older, I don't know if that's it."