Mathematician Dr Tom Crawford from the University of Oxford has decided to put an end to the debate regarding the best footballer in history by creating a special algorithm.
The algorithm takes into account seven key criteria which include honours and goals at the club and international level, Ballon d'Or votes, individual records, as well as 'mathematically outstanding' campaigns that saw a player lead his team to glory through his goals.
Here's the top 10 list, as per the algorithm.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — 537 points
2. Leo Messi — 503
3. Pele — 459
4. Ferenc Puskas — 305
5. Ronaldo Nazario — 281
6. Marco van Basten — 237
7. Alfredo Di Stefano — 201
8. Michel Platini — 177
9. Diego Maradona — 169
10. Johan Cruyff — 163
Ronaldo was able to claim the first spot thanks to the trophies won at the club level, including the five Champions League titles, his goalscoring record for Portugal and other accomplishments.
Of course, there are certain eyebrow-raising things about the algorithm. As it would be with any algorithm that doesn't have the Barcelona legend on top perhaps.
For example, it seems to be too fixated on goals, not taking into account other aspects of the beautiful game.
And even Dr Crawford himself believes that the algorithm he created might not be able to settle the debate once and for all.
"Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo has come out on top from my algorithm, it is clear that all the other players' stats are absolutely incredible, and I am sure the debate will continue!" he told our correspondence.
