Former Spain and Real Madrid coach, Vicente del Bosque has weighed in his opinion and stated that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player Real Madrid have ever had in their rich and storied history.
The Portugal and Real Madrid talisman picked up his 4th Ballon d’Or in a ceremony held by France Football on Monday; an award many felt was well deserved. Ronaldo had a stellar last season, winning both the European Championship and the Champions League this year.
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His points total of 745 was more than that of Messi (316), Griezmann (198), Suarez (91), Neymar (68) and Bale (60) combined, who placed at 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.
“Ronaldo is the best player in the history of Madrid through the records he has set,” Del Bosque told reporters.
“But he always does it without devaluating other players,” he continued.
Ronaldo can win another Ballon d’Or, says Zidane
These sentiments were also echoed by his current coach, Zinedine Zidane while speaking about the forward during his press conference at the Club World Cup: “Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the history of Real Madrid. Any player can come here and they will never be able to achieve what Ronaldo has achieved. There will never be anyone the same.”
“His 4 Ballon d’Ors are a chapeau, it’s not easy to win them. It’s very difficult to do what he has done, but I think he can win another Ballon d’Or,” insisted Zidane.
This is incredibly high praise indeed, especially considering that Madrid have boasted the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Iker Casillas and many more greats in their lineups over the years.
Ronaldo scores 500 goals in club level
However, by no means is it undeserved. Ronaldo’s record in the Spanish capital speaks for itself. He recently scored his 500th goal at club level against Club America in the Club World Cup – quite an astonishing number, considering there aren’t many who even manage to pass the 200 goal barrier.
Ronaldo’s 500 goals include 5 in 31 appearances for Sporting Lisbon, 118 goals in 292 appearances for Manchester United and 377 goals in just 366 appearances for Real Madrid, averaging an incredible 1.02 goals per game at the Los Blancos.
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And it’s not as if these have come at an empty cause; his goals have seen him win a host of trophies across his club career, including 4 league titles, 3 Champions League titles, 2 Club World Cups, totalling up to 17 trophies.
With Ronaldo still only 31 and still seemingly at the peak of his powers, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him cement his place as the greatest ever in Madrid over the coming years.
