Philippe Coutinho Talks Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar Amid Barcelona Links

Reported Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho has hailed Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as the three finest footballers on the planet. 

The Liverpool playmaker has been linked with a move to the Camp Nou in the past with Sport reporting the Brazil international is a priority transfer target for the club. If he were to join, he'd link up with Barca's formidable attacking trio, and it's clear the Reds man rates them very highly, per FourFourTwo:

Here's a listen to what Coutinho had to say in full courtesy of the FourFourTwo Twitter feed:

The Brazil international has played alongside two of those stars in his career. At Liverpool, he linked up wonderfully well with Suarez, as the pair were a key part of the Reds' title challenge during the 2013-14 season.

Meanwhile, with the national team, Coutinho is seeking to establish himself as a regular alongside Neymar, who is the side's key man.

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At Barcelona, Suarez, Neymar and Messi have combined to tremendous effect over the past couple of seasons, winning back-to-back La Liga titles, consecutive Copas del Rey and the UEFA Champions League at the end of the 2014-15 season. 

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, although Barca currently find themselves in something of a lull, the triumvirate remain an exceptional threat in the final third:

Those not tied to Barcelona would naturally disagree with Coutinho's assessment. Cristiano Ronaldo certainly has a case to be considered among the very best and has enjoyed a remarkable year; he won the Champions League with Real Madrid and UEFA European Championship with Portugal in 2016.

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The 31-year-old has been in tremendous form in 2016-17 and has helped Real Madrid open up a six-point lead over Barcelona at the top of La Liga early in the season; the two sides will meet in Saturday's Clasico clash at the Camp Nou.

Sports journalist Liam Canning certainly feels as though Ronaldo has enjoyed a better year than a lot of his rivals, especially Messi:

Coutinho is a player who'll hope to be held in similar esteem by the time he reaches his full potential. Under manager Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool man had begun this season in sensational form, adding a consistency and incision to his game that we've not seen previously. However, he'll be out of action until January with an ankle problem.

Perhaps the fact Coutinho knows both Neymar and Suarez well influenced his decision on this occasion, while few will argue with his choice to include Messi in his selection. Nevertheless, as is always the case when it comes to this fierce individual debate, it's not an opinion that'll be well received in many quarters.