Carlos Alcaraz's U-turn to set the record straight for Lionel Messi after snub

Carlos Alcaraz has come under fire for snubbing when revealing his favourite footballers of all time. The two-time champion was asked by Overtime Tennis to name his top-five players, but opted to leave out the World Cup winning icon.

Instead, the 21-year-old elected to go for legends , Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric. He also controversially picked Barcelona heroes Ronaldinho and Neymar, despite being a vocal fan of Barca's bitter rivals, Madrid. After the video was published, the comment section was filled with people berating the star for leaving out Messi. Howeve,r Alcaraz then swiftly atoned by commenting on the video himself.

"I can't believe I said those five, forgetting Messi and some more," he wrote. "I could say other five different ones right now." The former US Open champion's list didn't just cause a storm for leaving out Messi either.

Other commenters claimed that the likes of legends such as Maradona, Johan Cruyff or Pele could have easily made his list. Alcaraz's own assertion that he had not seen Ronaldinho play in person, but still allocated him a place on the list, also ruffled some feathers.

Despite his incendiary remarks, Alcaraz is known as a big football fan. He turned heads in late 2024 after he wore the iconic shirt of Argentinian team Boca Juniors for the yearly players vs coaches football match at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy, where he trains.

His choice of attire even attracted the attention of one of the names on Alcaraz's list, Neymar. The Brazilian superstar, now of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, wrote "Calidad", which translates to "quality", under a post of Alcaraz wearing the top.

Alcaraz was also extremely conflicted last summer after winning , as it took place on the same day that Spain defeated England in the Euro 2024 final.

Alcaraz beat Djokovic in straight sets in the afternoon, just hours before English heartbreak in Germany. Both male and female winners are then expected to attend the champions' dinner where they share a dance, however this directly clashed with the final.

It was later claimed that Alcaraz could not even leave his car before it was confirmed that Spain's winner in the game was ruled onside. Prior to the final, the Spanish star reaffirmed his love for the game saying: "Well, I have the dinner that all the winners have, after all.

"I will watch it [Euro 2024 final] for sure on the phone the first half. The second half I will watch on the TV over there. I can't miss it. I have to watch their final and support them."