“Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo… they’re not that important because I’ve seen Cristiano Ronaldo” - Kairat striker makes bold claim before Real Madrid clash

Kairat Almaty striker Jorginho has sparked the headlines ahead of his team's much-anticipated clash with Real Madrid by downplaying the football prowess of the current generation of Los Blancos stars in comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid are set to face the Kazakhstan Premier League side away from home in the Champions League on Tuesday, September 30. Xabi Alonso's men will go into the clash on the back of a humiliating 5-2 loss to their cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid over the weekend.

Ahead of the match, Jorginho acknowledged Real Madrid's strength. However, he argued that the talents of Los Blancos' current electrifying forwards Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo pale in comparison to that of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, Gareth Bale, and Mesut Ozil.

The Portuguese forward told Marca:

"For me, they're different players. Vinicius, Mbappé, Rodrygo... for me, they're not that important because I've seen Cristiano, Benzema, Di María, Bale, Özil. For me, the current players are fantastic players, but after seeing the others, it's not the same. With all due respect, because they're incredible players, but it's not the same as seeing Cristiano. He's the GOAT. He's the best along with Messi. I have to admit that Messi is on Cristiano's level. They're on the same level, but if I have to choose, it's always Cristiano."

Jorginho appears somewhat spot-on with his claims, as Vinicius and Rodrygo have been a shadow of themselves in recent months. However, Mbappe has picked up from where he left off last season, as he's been firing on all cylinders.

Los Blancos won their first match of the ongoing Champions League campaign, defeating Ligue 1 side Marseille 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu. They currently sit 13th in the league phase of the competition.

Kairat striker reveals Cristiano Ronaldo inspired his switch to Real Madrid on PES

In the same interview, Jorginho revealed Cristiano Ronaldo made him start using Real Madrid on Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). The 27-year-old initially said he used to play with Xabi Alonso in the sports simulation video game but switched to Los Blancos after Ronaldo joined the Whites. He said:

"For me, Xabi Alonso is the best midfielder I've ever seen play. I've loved him since I played for Liverpool. I used to play with him in PES. Then I switched to Real Madrid, obviously also because of Cristiano, but Xabi Alonso always played with me. It's different. But for example, if we're talking about the best for me now, they're Carvajal, Courtois, Rüdiger, and Valverde."

Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018 as the club's highest goalscorer with 450 goals.