“Tell him to stop taking the p***” - When Diego Maradona responded to Cristiano Ronaldo saying he has ‘never seen anyone better than’ himself
Late Argentine icon Diego Maradona once responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's 2017 comments where he called himself the best player in history. The Portuguese megastar's comments came after he won his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017.
In a conversation with France Football, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that he's the best player in history as he's the most complete player of all time. The Portugal international was playing for Real Madrid at that time and said (via GOAL):
"I’m the best player in history, in the good moments and the bad ones. I’ve never seen anyone better than me. I have always thought that. No footballer can do the things I can. There’s no player more complete than me. I play well with both feet, I’m quick, powerful, good with the head, I score goals, I make assists. There are guys who prefer Neymar or Messi. But I tell you: there’s no one more complete than me."
In a subsequent interview with AS in 2017, Argentine icon Diego Maradona was asked to comment on Ronaldo's opinion. The legendary forward is often considered among the greatest to have graced the sport.
Here's how the conversation went:
Q: Ronaldo says he is the best player in history.
Maradona: Tell him to stop taking the p***.
Q: If Cristiano is the best in history, what does that make you?
Maradona: That’s why I said stop taking the p***.
Diego Maradona is best remembered for his role in leading Argentina to triumph in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Thirty-six years later in 2022, Maradona's successor Lionel Messi led La Albiceleste to their third FIFA World Cup title in Qatar.
Messi's rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most publicized ones in history, dominating football discourses over the last two decades.
"Marvelous" - When Diego Maradona shared his thoughts on Cristiano Ronaldo
In his aforementioned interview with AS, Diego Maradona also showed his appreciation for Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him a marvelous talent. On being asked what he liked about the Portuguese legend, Maradona said:
"Marvelous. The definition. Another of the things that I recognize in Cristiano Ronaldo is that when the team needs him, he’s there. He has that. And eh, listen, after ‘El Flaco’ Cruyff, there weren’t many players who have had that quality."
Maradona passed away in his home in Argentina in November 2020 due to a heart attack. After his death, Ronaldo took to Instagram to pay tribute to the football legend, calling him an 'unparalleled magician' and an 'eternal genius'.