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The debate over who is the greatest player of all time has occupied pundits and fans since the modern game has begun. Different generations have pitted their footballing heroes against the waves of modern footballers, leading to a slew of never-ending discussions.
As different polls and articles seem to provide different results, the argument has yet to be settled. No clear owner of the title is visible just yet.
The title of GOAT has been passed between many players, from the Brazilian Ronaldo to Zidane and from Pele to Maradona, with all staking a worthy claim of the accolade.
However, with the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the debate has now been refocused entirely on to the two of them, with a majority of past legends being ignored.
Whilst the battle for supremacy will continue to rage on between the two greatest players in the world for years to come, it is still interesting to see who has the better claim to being the greatest as things stand right now.
With this in mind, I will present four reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is part of the pantheon of the all-time greats of football, and perhaps the greatest of them all.
1. Scoring 100 Champions League goals for one club the quickest
Not only is Ronaldo the all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League, he also reached 100 goals with a single club in the competition quicker than anybody in the European Cup's 63-year history.
Only 10 players have managed to score more than 30 goals in the Champions League for a single club, so for Ronaldo to reach 100 goals is an astounding achievement in itself.
However, it is the speed at which he reached this milestone that makes CR7's record truly remarkable. Ronaldo has scored at least a goal per game while playing with Los Blancos, with his goal-to-game ratio standing at 1.05.
This milestone is not something that has been done before and it certainly isn't a number that players casually reach, despite the Champions League hosting some of the greatest strikers of all time well before Ronaldo and Messi reached 100 goals.
Ronaldo was able to score a goal per game in the most elite competition in football for almost a decade to make this record. The ability to do this not only requires goalscoring capabilities equal to the Brazilian Ronaldo, who is perhaps the greatest goalscorer ever, but also total concentration, consistency, determination and self belief.
Many strikers don't manage to score 100 goals for their club in all competitions, so for Ronaldo to do this in the Champions League alone is amazing. And for him to do it against the best defences in the world in just 95 games is nothing short of miraculous.
Considering that Ronaldo has achieved something no one else has in the competition that arguably boasts the highest calibre of teams, illuminates what a freakish talent he is.
2. Winning the European Championship, Champions League, World Player of the Year, Ballon Do'r, Club World Cup, UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and UEFA Super Cup in the same year
2016 was an unprecedented year in Ronaldo's career as the Portuguese legend finally filled the missing piece in his glittering trophy cabinet by winning the European Championship in Paris.
Not only did CR7 win the Euros in 2016, he also won the Champions League, World Player of the Year, Ballon Do'r, Club World Cup, UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and UEFA Super Cup that year.
No other player in history has achieved this feat over the course of a single calendar year. And when you consider that most players don't achieve this over a whole career, it is truly an amazing record.
This feat will be extremely difficult to beat as not only will a future player have to be the best player in the world in order to win the individual honors, they will also have to win a multitude of team honors as well as winning the most difficult club competition in football and the most difficult continental competition - all in the same year.
In addition, as the European Championships come every four years, if another player hopes to eclipse this record their peak in football will have to align specifically during the year when the European Championships are to be played. It is because of this that the record will be almost impossible to beat.
To be successful at only one club demonstrates that a player requires a certain setting for them to truly shine as a player. Ronaldo however has shown with this feat that he can perform for any team, in any competition, whilst performing at the highest level - and for this reason it reinforces his position amongst the best players of all time.
3. Being the top goal scorer at the Champions League, European Championships (including qualifiers), and the World Cup (including qualifiers) at the same time
It is no secret that Ronaldo is a goal scoring machine, with the Portuguese scoring in virtually every game he has played since 2009.
His goal scoring prowess is evidenced through his title as all-time top goal scorer in the World Cup (including qualifiers), the European Championships (including qualifiers), and the Champions League.
Whilst this isn't his only goal-scoring record, it is a significant one as it illustrates his ability to be able to perform in front of goal for both club and country.
To be the top goal-scorer in just one of these competitions is impressive on its own. But for Ronaldo to do so in all three competitions is simply remarkable.
In addition, the fact that he is able to hold all of these records simultaneously demonstrates how dominant he is in the footballing world and isn't just the product of a star studded Real Madrid team. In fact, he can also perform at the highest level for Portugal, which has a much weaker squad in comparison.
With Ronaldo setting the bar so high for goal-scoring records, it is no surprise he has this record too. And although there is a chance he may lose one or two of these records in the future, the likelihood of it being done by one player is doubtful, emphasizing what an incredible player Ronaldo is.
4. Real Madrid's all time leading goal-scorer
Being the top goal-scorer at Real Madrid isn't an easy task considering many of the best strikers of all time have played for the world-famous club.
This reality has presented very few problems for Ronaldo though, who not only eclipsed Raul's record of 323 goals in 2015 but has since gone on to score another 120 goals.
Ronaldo currently sits at an incredible 445 goals in 430 appearances for Los Blancos which makes his record even more impressive. To emphasise how impressive this is, Ronaldo would have to play for over 400 more games without scoring for Real Madrid if he had to equal Raul's goal-to-game ratio.
Given that by the time Ronaldo has finished playing for Real Madrid this record could be over 600 goals (if he continues to score at the rate he is), it seems unlikely that we will see it ever being broken. And certainly not at the rate of more than a goal per game like Ronaldo has managed to achieve.
This record is undoubtedly one of Ronaldo's finest and it shows that even when playing for arguably the biggest club in football, he is still the standout player. For him to score as many goals as he has in the minuscule time frame is nothing short of a miracle.
The numbers behind this record demonstrate what a once-in-a-lifetime talent Ronaldo is, and he will be sorely missed by Real Madrid when he ceases to play for them.
To be the top goalscorer at any club is an impressive feat, but for Ronaldo to do it at the club that has boasted Di Stefano, Puskas, Brazillian Ronaldo, Raul, Van Nistelrooy, Michael Owen and David Suker is nothing short of remarkable. And when you consider that he has done this primarily from the left wing, you are left speechless.
To be the top goal scorer in your club's history is special, but to be the top goal scorer in Real Madrid's histroy is something greater when considering the legacy and stature of former legends who have played for Los Blancos. It demonstrates that Ronaldo's level is so high he is the greatest player at the greatest club, adding more fire to the fuel that he is in the one of the greatest players ever.
