Ibn 'Umar said:
In the time of the Prophet, we did not compare anyone with Abu Bakr. `Umar came next and then Uthman. We would then leave the Prophet's companions without treating any as superior to others.
Bukhari transmitted it.
In a version by Abu Dawud, he said: When God's messenger was alive, we used to say that the most excellent member of the Prophet's people after himself was Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman.