Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo affirmed that there are no doubles in the football universe as he believes every player is unique. He acknowledged the fact that there are plenty of promising young players, but the 31-year-old thinks none of them will succeed him.
When Spanish daily Marca asked him if there is a young player who can become the new Cristiano Ronaldo, he replied, "No one can be the next Cristiano Ronaldo. There are no doubles in football. The next will be what he has to be, but never the same. That does not happen.”
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“I see many young talents in Europe like Renato Sanches, Andres Gomes, or Joao Mario. There are many to choose from. I have only mentioned the Portuguese, but there are many in Europe who have the capacity to go far. I am very happy because these great talents assure that football will always be strong."
The 3-time Ballon d'Or winner had a busy week as he extended his contract with Real Madrid until the summer of 2021 and then signed a mega deal with Nike which is rumoured to be worth a whopping $1 billion. He also collected Marca’s Alfredo di Stefano award for the best player in La Liga after he finished the previous campaign with an impressive tally of 35 goals and 11 assists.
Ronaldo had a brilliant 2015-16 season which saw him win the Champions League with Real Madrid and the UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal which makes him the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or this year. However, the Real Madrid number 7 insists that he is not obsessed with winning the coveted individual honour.
“The votes do not depend on me so I cannot be obsessed about whether I am going to win or whether I deserve to win," he said. "If you ask me if I want to win, of course, I do. I will not lie, but it is not up to me. I do not obsess over it. I am calm because what I did last season was incredible and I am very comfortable with my performances. I did everything last season; the Champions League, Euro 2016. It was my best year, so I am happy."
Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer having racked up 371 goals in all competitions for the club ever since his move from Manchester United for a then world record fee of £80 million. He has broken numerous record throughout his glittering career and is the all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
