Ronaldo is the GOAT, says his long-time agent, Mendes
What's the story?
In a recent interview, Cristiano Ronaldo's long-time agent, Jorge Mendes, discussed Ronaldo's recent loss to Messi in this year's Ballon d'Or, before arguing that Cristiano Ronaldo should have won and that the Portuguese star is the greatest football in the history of football.
In case you didn't know
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been locked in a peerless rivalry for over ten years now. Consistently over the last decade, they have been universally regarded as the two best players in the world. Not only that, but many regard the two of them as not only the best in the world or the best of their generation, but the best of all-time.
The heart of the matter
After discussing Ronaldo's loss to Messi at the Ballon d'Or this year, the super-agent declared, "Cristiano for me is the best player in the history of world football." He qualified his position by arguing:
"Portugal before Cristiano had won nothing. With Cristiano, they have won the European Championship and Nations League, [while] in 2004 they were a finalist in the European Championship too.
He then concluded Ronaldo's impact on Portugal by remarking, "He transformed world football. We are talking about Portugal, a small country that has changed a lot thanks to Cristiano."
Ronaldo has undoubtedly transformed the level of fame for Portugal. Unlike nations like Argentina, Brazil, France, England, and Germany, Portugal did not possess the level of football fame they had until Ronaldo arrived.
Whilst they have boasted some impressive players in the past like Eusebio and Luis Figo, neither star transcended the sport like Ronaldo has. Ronaldo's impact on Portugal is not unlike Roger Federer's impact on Switzerland. Both nations were famous for other things before Ronaldo and Federer respectively, but now they are the first things one thinks of when discussing either nation.
Source: https://www.goal.com/en-om/news/cristiano-ronaldo-ballon-dor-real-madrid-mendes/1an5ldy7s4od1flbqqc4wuwy8