The greatest player to ever step foot on a football pitch is undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was not born as gifted as Lionel Messi,  and so , from an incredibly young age, had to work hard to get where he is today. His work ethic and mentality is why he is still at the top of his game at the age of 37. Unlike Messi, who only depends on his natural talent, Ronaldo is a diverse player in 3 of Europe’s top 5 leagues: Serie A (Italy), La Liga (Spain), and the Premier League (England). Messi only plays in 2 leagues after transferring from FC Barcelona (Spain) to PSG (France) in 2021. Ronaldo repeatedly demonstrates his versatility as a player, and more importantly, is able to produce results whereas Messi is failing to do so this year.

“Today, the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo,” said legendary Brazilian soccer player Pele in an interview with YouTube channel Pilhado.

Consistency is key to Ronaldo’s success. Scoring a total of 801 career goals becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in all competitions. Ronaldo takes care of his body with his outstanding physique.

“Cristiano is the best. Messi is his rival and it’s the rivalry everyone wants to see, but Ronaldo is phenomenal. There are no words to describe him. He is much better than me even though I had a great career. He’s the greatest of all time,” said Zinedine Zidane, 3-time Champions league winner.

There is no denying Ronaldo is the greatest of all time: he has shown his athleticism in the biggest stages of the game repeatedly. For example, Ronaldo has more Champions Leagues won than most major clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Manchester United Liverpool and not to mention has the same mount as FC Barcelona To be still performing at the top level at the age of 37 is just phenomenal. Some may say his time is coming to an end being 37 years old is the retirement age in the game of soccer/football it may be true for Messi who is 34 years old is already showing he can’t last Ronaldo and can’t perform in big games or any game only scoring 6 goals in all competitions this year in a total of 1342 minutes played not to mention Lionel Messi has the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Donnarumma, Marquinos, Di Maria and still cannot win a Champions League title.

Ronaldo also has 5 Champions League wins, proving he has the athletic prowess to succeed in the hardest competition in Europe. He also won the 2016 UEFA Euro Championships with the Portuguese national team, and earned 5 Ballon D’Ors, winning 4 of them in a 5-year period.

While Ronaldo, at the age of 37, transferred to play in the most competitive league in Europe (the Premier League), he continues to thrive in the sport, and is now fighting for a Champions League place for Manchester United. On March 12, 2022, Ronaldo achieved a hat trick against Tottenham Hotspur to give Manchester United a much-needed 3 points for the push for a Champions League place.

When Ronaldo’s time comes to an end – which doesn’t seem like it will anytime soon due to his amazing physical condition – he could become a great coach. In fact, with his winning mentality and leadership skills, he could become one of the most decorated players and coaches of all time.