From Roy Keane to Kylian Mbappe, some of the top names in football have proclaimed Cristiano Ronaldo to be the greatest of all time.
There is no denying that Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time after winning five Ballon d’Or, five Champions Leagues, seven league titles, the Euros, and several more accolades.
At the advanced age of 39, he still has 109 goals left to reach his career total, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Here are 13 well-known football figures who believe Ronaldo to be the best player of all time.
Frank Lampard
The Chelsea icon has subsequently changed his mind about his initial belief that Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time.
The Overlap quoted Lampard as saying, “You know what, I’ve always been a Messi man” in 2021.
“I really believe that I might give Ronaldo the advantage given his output, real statistics, and goals in significant finals and semifinals as we’ve seen.”
Steven Gerrard
Similar to his England teammate, Gerrard has recently had second thoughts about the GOAT controversy. The head of Al-Ettifaq declared CR7 to be the best of all time recently.
“January saw the arrival of Cristiano, the man we refer to as the ‘GOAT.'” Clearly a big addition, with plenty of football left in him. I spent six months following Cristiano Ronaldo’s progress from a distance by watching games and highlights.
“I believe that the league gained global popularity as a talking point for everyone after that.”
Roy Keane
When Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford, things didn’t go as planned, but Keane always seemed to have his back as a pundit.
“I believe there has been a lot of discussion about him [Ronaldo] and Messi, but in the last six months, I believe he’s elevated to a new level—Ronaldo is now a formidable opponent. As amazing as he is, it’s not natural ability—it’s just pure hard effort,” Keane observed as he covered the 2018 World Cup.
“The man is a genius, and he exudes boldness and bravery in plenty. Given his performance over the past few months, I would rank him higher than Messi.
Gary Neville
Although Neville and Ronaldo haven’t always agreed, the former Manchester United captain has always called CR7 the best player of all time.
Neville said to Sky Sports in 2021, “Look, there’s no doubt that Messi’s scored an obscene amount of goals.” “He plays ridiculously well.
“[But] Ronaldo has likely scored 30 to 40 percent more goals with his ineffective foot and more penalties. It simply brought me up to a position where he was more proficient at the crucial aspect of the game.
“That international record—the most international goals ever—is what pushes it over the brink even further. The fact that he has five Champions League victories with groups that aren’t even close to Messi’s squad is noteworthy.
Iker Casillas
Casillas gave a succinct and charming response when asked to select the greatest player of the contemporary period, saying, “Cristiano.”
Roberto Carlos
In 2017, Carlos said to Fox Sports, “These days, when you talk about football, you talk about Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo, and for me, Cristiano has worked to improve.”
“It’s fascinating to watch how he trains every day. He aspires to get better every day. With Messi, it’s different.
Leo is a phenomenon, but Cristiano’s side of success, professionalism, attention, drive, and training… Cristiano is superior than everyone else.
Kylian Mbappe
It’s no sеcrеt that Mbappe looks up to Ronaldo, and the French attacker has called CR7 the greatest player of all time on social media.
Zinedine Zidane
The former Real Madrid manager was eager to declare the Portuguese player the best of all time after Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d’Or.
When asked if Ronaldo was the greatest player of all time in 2017, Zidane replied, “Yes.” When it comes to his accomplishments and future plans, his figures definitely speak for themselves.
“There are no more words to adequately characterize Cristiano. He accomplishes amazing things.
“A player could come here and play for this team for twenty years and still not accomplish what he has.”
Thomas Muller
Muller responded, “I go for Ronaldo,” when asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo. I have a strong statistic versus Messi, but not so good vs Ronaldo.
Ryan Giggs
In 2017, Giggs declared, “Well obviously I played with Cristiano so I’m going with Cristiano.”
“Cristiano has demonstrated his abilities in Portugal, England, La Liga, and on the national team representing Portugal. Cristiano, in my opinion, barely edges it out.
Giorgio Chiellini
Chiellini told ESPN that he would choose “Ronaldo” between the two greatest players of the modern age.
Marcelo
In 2017, Marcelo told reporters, “I have played with Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Van Nistelrooy, but Cristiano is the best I have played with.”
“I’ve never seen a more complete player than him.”
Pablo Sarabia
Although Sarabia has had the good fortune to play with players like Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar, he clearly has a favorite among the three.
Sarabia told talkSPORT, “It’s amazing because it’s a dream to play with these players.”
Saying that it’s a tough topic to answer, he declined to pick the best player he’s ever played alongside. Cristiano is the one who stands out due to his extraordinary thinking. It’s really challenging.