It is not often that you see Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, hail another player as one of the greatest exponents of the sport. However, the Real Madrid star does it sometimes, and when he does, he makes sure it is someone who is actually a legendary figure.
The Real Madrid number 7 has heaped praise on Roma legend, Francesco Totti, by regarding him as one of the finest the game has ever produced.
“He [Totti] is one of the greats and continues to be one. I realised this last year when I faced him as an opponent,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Also read: Roma legend Francesco Totti admits he thought of joining Real Madrid in 2004
The former Manchester United winger also believes that the Italian could yet go on for a couple more years and that the one-club man should be seen as a role model by youngsters to engrave the fact that age doesn’t really matter.
“I think he can even go on for another two or three years. It's important for young people, who have to understand that age does not matter.”
I don’t think about retiring
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner then went on to explain how he himself never thinks of retiring and will keep gracing the pitch with his powerful presence as long as his body allows him to do so.
“I personally never think of retiring. I see myself on the pitch for a long time. Whilst my body responds well, I will continue to do what I love the most."
Moving the topic of discussion, the Euro 2016 winning captain revealed that Inter and Juventus provided him with the opportunity to play in Italy, but he opted to play for the Red Devils because it was one of his dreams.
“Inter and Juventus wanted to give me an opportunity to play in Italy, but my dream was to play in Manchester and I went there,” he added.
Italy is a challenging league
Finally, after years of relative obscurity, the Serie A is slowly heading upwards and it hasn’t gone unnoticed to the eye of Cristiano Ronaldo. The record goal-scorer of Real Madrid believes that the league’s rise is due to the influx of some quality players and that it is a welcome news for the football fraternity given that it will only improve the competitiveness of the Champions League.
“A challenging league, and after a few tough years it is returning to the top. Very good players have arrived and the level of play has been raised.
“This is good for Europe too, because now in the Champions League, the most competitive teams will be there.”
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