Top 10 quotes on Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has become more than a football player over the years and it is his larger-than-life persona that has made him one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.
The Portuguese forward has earned a place among the all-time greats through his incredible work ethic, consistency, and his skills.
Alongside his long-time adversary Lionel Messi, he has made history on multiple occasions and has achieved every goal-scoring milestone imaginable.
We can on about the greatness he has achieved with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and the Portugal national team. Though words could never fully capture his contributions towards multiple titles for club and country, he has been showered with high praise by some of the greatest personalities of football throughout his illustrious career.
Here we present to you a compilation of some of the greatest plaudits received by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to date.
Top 10 quotes about Cristiano Ronaldo:
#10 Rio Ferdinand
It is said that the people who get to work with legends like Cristiano Ronaldo in their formative years are the ones who really know them well. They can even have a lasting effect on shaping their destiny.
One such lucky player who shared the dressing room with Ronaldo in the fledgling stage of his career is former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand himself, a highly decorated player, believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's consistency and hunger to stay at the top has made him the legend that he is today.
"Great skill gets you so far, but there have been many players like that. Think of Rivaldo, Figo, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho. They were phenomenal, but they were contesting to be the best in the world for only two or three years. Cristiano has been in the discussion every year for a decade."
"He gets 50 goals a season time and again. Having Lionel Messi around at the same time means he’s been pushed to even greater heights. Muhammad Ali needed Joe Frazier, Federer needed Nadal, Larry Bird needed Magic Johnson. You never spoke about one without mentioning the other.”
#9 Virat Kohli
It is not uncommon to see athletes across different sports having respect for one another, as many athletes grew up playing games other than their own and understand what it takes to make it to the top of a professional sport.
Virat Kohli, the No.1 ranked batsmen in ODIs, admires Cristiano Ronaldo for his work ethic and drive.
“I love his (Cristiano Ronaldo) work ethic, drive, passion and ability to deflect all the noise from the outside, He moves ahead and just gets it done."
“Messi is a freak, absolute natural talent, and his ability is second to none. For me, what stands out is the ability or the will to put in the effort in every single minute of the game. Ronaldo’s drive separates him from everyone else. Playing at the top level, everyone has talent, but I don’t think anyone has the will that he has."
#8 George Best
Manchester United has had a lot of iconic players donning their famous Red Jersey over the years and amongst them, the No.7 jersey has a special place.
The jersey has been donned by legends like Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Bryan Robson but was first made famous by Irishman George Best. Coincidentally, Cristiano Ronaldo was the last player who did justice to the jersey during his time at Old Trafford.
To receive praise from someone who has been in your own shoes is one of the best compliments and the legendary George Best had kind words for Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portuguese's time with Manchester United.
“There have been a few players described as the new George Best over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”
#7 Johan Cruyff
Cristiano Ronaldo has earned a lot of praise from a lot of Real Madrid legends over time, thanks to his exploits for the La Liga giants but he has earned the respect of a few professionals associated with their arch-rivals Barcelona as well.
Johan Cruyff is a Barcelona legend, having enjoyed success with the Catalans as a player and a manager. Though Cruyff sided with Lionel Messi when Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid later, he did called him the best player in the history of Manchester United earlier.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United.”
#6 Jose Mourinho
Cristiano Ronaldo had been voted the greatest Portuguese player of all time back in 2015, so it is obvious that he is extremely famous in his homeland. Jose Mourinho is one of the best managers of our time and got the chance to coach his compatriot for three years at Real Madrid.
It was under Mourinho that Ronaldo sharpened his goalscoring prowess and just in their three-year association, Mourinho knew that Ronaldo was a star and heaped some special praise on the Juventus star.
“He is the best, the best in the world, yes. Probably the best ever.
“I saw [Diego] Maradona a couple of times. I never saw Pele. But Cristiano is amazing. This man is the best… Cristiano is a goals machine. He is an incredible player. He is like [Zinedine] Zidane, there will never be another Ronaldo.”
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