Chelsea star Cole Palmer picks his top 4 players of all time

Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer included Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his list of four favourite players of all time. Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as the two of the best ever to grace the beautiful game.

Having scored over 900 times each for club and country during the course of their illustrious careers, the legendary duo have won big titles and individual honours galore for club and country and are still going strong.

Ronaldo and Messi, along with Palmer (England), are expected to feature for their respective nations at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ahead of the quadrennial event, Palmer (as per Chelsea Dodgers) named his four top players:

“Messi is the GOAT.”

“Neymar”

“Rooney”

“Ronaldo (CR7).”

Among the four players named by Palmer, Wayne Rooney – Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer – is the only one who’s retired – having hung up his boots in 2021.

Meanwhile, Neymar is still active but hasn’t appeared on the international stage since getting injured in a 2-0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay in October 2023. The Brazilian is likely to be overlooked by boss Carlo Ancelotti in his final squad, having not named him in the March friendlies due to fitness concerns.

There are no such worries for Messi and Ronaldo, though, who continue to be key players for their respective squads. While Messi won the World Cup with Argentina four years ago, Ronaldo is looking to do the same with Portugal in what’s likely to be his sixth and final appearance at the global event.

How Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have fared this season

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are having solid seasons with their respective clubs – Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia and Inter Miami of MLS – with the Argentine starting his season earlier this year.

Ronaldo, 41, has struck 26 times in 31 games across competitions for the Knights of Najd. That includes 24 strikes in the Saudi Pro League, where he’s within three goals of Golden Boot leader Ivan Toney of Al-Ahli.

Meanwhile, Messi, 38, has scored eight times in 11 outing across competitions for the Herons in 2026. Seven of those strikes have come in MLS, where the Argentine is joint-third in the scoring charts, two behind leader Peter Musa (nine) of FC Dallas.