Casemiro didn’t hesitate when naming the top three ‘greatest’ players of his generation – Man Utd

Manchester United and Brazil star Casemiro has named the three greatest players of his generation.

During what has been a very successful career so far, Casemiro has played for the likes of Sao Paulo, Real Madrid, Porto and United.

The 32-year-old has lifted five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles among other trophies.

Casemiro has also shared the pitch with some of the best players of the current generation – Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric to name a few.

Internationally, the midfielder has collected 75 caps for Brazil, playing alongside Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Thiago Silva during that time.

But who does Casemiro think are the greatest three players of his generation?

Alongside Ronaldo, he picked international team-mate Neymar and his former fierce rival at Barcelona, Lionel Messi.

In an interview with Brazilian magazine Placar last year, he explained his picks: “I had the pleasure of seeing Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who are the three greatest of my generation.

“Lionel Messi made his mark. You can’t deny it. He was always a rival, with Barcelona and with Argentina. There was no way to escape it.

“But those who like football, like Messi. It was a pleasure playing against him. He is a guy who does not need comment. You just have to admire him.

“I saw Ronaldo [Nazario], I saw Zinedine Zidane. But without a doubt, these three are the best of my time.

“I never played against Cristiano, thank God! He gave me many titles and victories.”

Over the last couple of seasons, Casemiro has struggled to perform to the level that made him one of the best players in his position.

During the summer transfer window, the Brazilian was linked with a big-money move to the Saudi Professional League but he stayed at United as nothing was able to materialise.