Harimoto names table tennis's Messi & Ronaldo

During the 2026 Asian Table Tennis Championships last month, Japanese player Tomokazu Harimoto talked about football in an interview.

When asked whether he regularly watches football matches, Harimoto said yes. Asked who his favourite footballer was, he replied: "Kevin De Bruyne."

The interviewer then said: "De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are all legends of world football. So here's the next question: Who would you say are the Ronaldo and Messi of world table tennis?"

Harimoto answered without hesitation: "Ma Long and Fan Zhendong."