Olaleye Idowu
Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand has backed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese’s recent claim of being the best ever.
Ronaldo had recently made it clear that he is the most complete player the world has ever know. He stressed that he is more complete than the likes of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
The statement has garnered plenty of attention from fans and pundits alike.
While many agree with him and feel the Portuguese is being disrespected, others have criticized him, calling him arrogant.
Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate and friend, Ferdinand, however, defended the 40-year-old, referencing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is used to making such comments.
He also pointed to Ronaldo’s achievements, which include being the highest goalscorer in the history of the game.
“Everyone compliments Zlatan for saying stuff like that and goes, ‘oh what a guy, I love his personality and character’,” Ferdinand said via his podcast, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
“When Cristiano Ronaldo says it, they’re like, ‘oh he’s so arrogant. How could he say that?’ If anyone is in a position to talk like that, it’s Ronaldo.
“You know what’s crazy, he’s been top scorer of his team for the last 18 years. Since 2007 probably, he’s been top scorer for every team he played in. Just let that sink in. It’s unbelievable. Ronaldo is disrespected on a regular basis.”
Urban Express News Online reports that the Portugal international is the all-time top scorer in football with 924 goals for club and country.
Ronaldo could become the only player in history to score 1000 career goals but recently said that talking about it irritates him.
