After Rafa Benitez claims Mo Salah is ‘more complete’ than Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand responds

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand believes Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah are more similar in terms of their styles of play than what Rafael Benitez thinks. His comments arrived days after Benitez ranked Salah over Ronaldo, claiming that the Liverpool superstar is the more complete player.

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the highest goalscorer of all time, establishing himself as one of the greatest players of all time. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has recorded 943 goals and 258 assists in 1286 appearances across competitions for club and country.

Despite this, Benitez recently opted to select Salah over Ronaldo when asked to pick between the two superstars during a segment on the Shoot For Love YouTube channel, stating:

“You talk about attackers, Salah has been consistent for so many years... Ronaldo is the greatest maybe finisher, but Salah is more complete."

However, Ferdinand, who played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009, reckons both players are similar. On his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, he explained how both players are there to finish the game off, rather than dictating play, stating:

“I actually think they are more similar than what Rafa Benitez thinks. Cristiano Ronaldo has morphed into a player who just is there to finish the game. He’s there to finish things off, get him on the end of a chance [and he will take it]. He can be quiet for 89 minutes and then get a goal out of nowhere. He can score in the first minute and he could be quiet for the rest of the game. But he’s always there for a chance. Always sniffing around, even when he’s not in the game."

He added:

“Is Mo Salah much different to that? Is he a player who takes the running off a game, the momentum of a game? It shifts just because he starts getting on it and comes deep and gets involved in football? Not really.”

On the other hand, Salah has established himself as one of the best wingers in Premier League history at Liverpool over the past eight years. The 33-year-old has also added creativity to his game, garnering 246 goals and 114 assists in 405 appearances across competitions.

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"Ronaldo is disrespected on a regular basis" - When Rio Ferdinand defended Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal ace named himself the GOAT over Lionel Messi

Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand once came to Cristiano Ronaldo's defense after he faced criticism for calling himself the GOAT ahead of Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona.

Back in February 2025, Ronaldo told La Sexta (via GOAL):

“I think I'm the most complete player there has ever been... Taste is one thing, saying this, that or that, whether you prefer Messi, Pele or Maradona, I hear it and I respect it but to say that Cristiano isn't complete is a lie. I'm the most complete. I don't see anyone better than me and I tell you that with all my heart.”

However, Cristiano Ronaldo was criticized by many fans for his comments. Ferdinand later questioned the former's critics on his YouTube channel, commenting (via GOAL):

“Everyone champions Zlatan for saying stuff like that and goes, ‘oh what a guy, I love his personality and character’. When Cristiano says it, they’re like, ‘oh he’s so arrogant. How could he say that?"

He added:

“If anyone is in a position to talk like that, it’s him. You know what’s crazy, he’s been top scorer of his team for the last 18 years. Since 2007 probably, he’s been top scorer for every team he played in. Just let that sink in. It’s unbelievable. Ronaldo is disrespected on a regular basis.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is still breaking records and individually flourishing at Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. He recently penned a new two-year deal, keeping him at the club until June 2027.