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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo is often counted among the greatest players to have ever set foot on a football pitch. But before him, there was another Ronaldo who intimidated the defenders to a similar extent - the one and only O Fenômeno, the Brazilian who redefined the role of the striker in the modern game.
Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has coached both of these prolific goalscorers, said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that when the duo is compared, there's no better or worse and both of them are equally wonderful players.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo Nazario is one of the select few footballers to have played for both LaLiga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, enjoying a fruitful spell in two of the biggest cities in Spain.
He also holds the distinction of playing for Inter Milan and AC Milan, two clubs which share what is often considered to be the biggest intra-city rivalry in the world.
The heart of the matter
Juventus star Ronaldo and his Brazilian namesake are two of the best forwards of all time. Though both of them have been highly successful in their respective careers, the Portuguese has never won the World Cup for his nation, while the latter retired as one of the greatest players to never have won the UEFA Champions League.
Former Portugal and Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, who now coaches the Brazilian club Palmeiras, refused to name which is the better Ronaldo. When asked to choose between his former pupils, he replied: (As quoted by Calciomercato)
“One isn’t better than the other."
He added that both of them are wonderful players and share key characteristics that have molded them into legends of the game. He continued:
“They’re two wonderful players who are bonded by a unique characteristic: decisiveness.
“If there’s a decisive match and they’re on the pitch, rest assured they’re the ones who decide it.”
What's next?
Ronaldo picked up an injury on international duty earlier this week, but it is expected that the mercurial forward will be back in time for his club's Champions League clash with Ajax two weeks from now.
