Chelsea star rates Lionel Messi above Ronaldo, 8 other best strikers he has ever played in his career
- Thiago Silva has named Lionel Messi as the best striker he has faced in his 19-year career so far
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are also on the shortlist according to the defender
- Blues legend Didier Drogba is also on the list of exotic strikers named by Thiago Silva
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Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has played with and against several top strikers in the world, but just 10 of them made lasting impacts on him.
The Brazilian joined the Blues as a free agent last summer and he has been impressive for the west London club who are fourth on the log.
With his career set to clock two decades next year, the legendary centre-back has now named the 10 strongest and most difficult players that I have had the chance to play against.
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Silva, while speaking with his club's website revealed the list of star strikers who have made impacts on him:
Source: Getty Images
10. Angel Di Maria
"Because of his technical quality and strong left foot."
9. Kylian Mbappe
"Because of his speed as well as his technical quality."
8. Didier Drogba
"Because of his physical strength and despite being incredibly strong, he still has a lot of technical skills."
7. Roberto Firmino
"He has incredible technical quality, He is very intelligent with his movement (on the pitch) that leaves defenders a bit lost."
6. Romario
"Because of his intelligence in the box. He is the best I have seen in the box."
5. Adriano
"Like Drogba, is an incredible physical force with an unbelievable powerful left-foot penalty shot
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
"I am going to say Ibrahimovic is the fourth there because he is a guy that inspired me and I think he has inspired many kids to believe in what he was doing.
"He has a black belt in martial arts before he became a footballer and then after he found himself in football, he is a guy I admire a lot. I had a chance to play against him and obviously, he is the fourth-best on my list."
3. Neymar
"Because of his class, intelligence and magic. He is a player who impresses me with his technical quality and his ability to create out of nowhere."
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
"Because of his professionalism, his dedication and passion for football. He is a guy I admire for his commitment and for everything he has achieved."
1. Lionel Messi
"Because he has incredible quality and a God-given gift and because of the professionalism, he is for me the best."
The former Paris Saint Germain star also mentioned countryman Ronaldo honourably but added that he didn't make his 10 strongest strikers because he never played with or against him. He said:
"I could also mention Ronaldo the phenomenon Nazario but I didn't have the opportunity to play with him or against him. Thinking back, watching the forwards that were blessed, I am reminded of their incredible qualities."
Legit.ng earlier reported that Chelsea might be making a move for Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman following the uncertain future of Christian Pulisic at Stamford Bridge.
The London club has reportedly been monitoring the Frenchman who has been considered as the right replacement for Callum Hudson-Odoi who is also wanted by the German champions.
Sources claim the Blues' recruitment team is ready to rekindle their love for the player who fired the Bavarians to Champions League glory over PSG in August 2020.
Oluwatomiwa is a sports editor with Legit.ng. He has over eight years of field and office experience in the media industry. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2014 with HND in Mass Communication. Connect with him on Twitter @TomiwaBabalola.
Source: Legit.ng
