Past vs Present: Luis Figo vs Cristiano Ronaldo – Who is Portugal’s greatest number 7?

#4 Raising the bar

There are no doubts or second thoughts about this one. Cristiano Ronaldo’s hunger to succeed and his dedication to the game are second to none.

For example, after arriving at Manchester United, he underwent a major body transformation. He quickly went from being a lean young kid to athletically built adult in a very short time. Former Manchester United strength and conditioning coach, Mike Clegg, and French legend, Zinedine Zidane, have praised Ronaldo’s work ethic and dedication to improve on the training field.

His drive and determination is fuelled by the desire to be one of the best players in the World, but he has also stated that he would rather be remembered as a role model than one of the World’s best football players.

Ronaldo’s age old rivalry with Lionel Messi has often forced him to keep improving his game so that the Argentine doesn’t pull away from him and his perseverance was recently rewarded with two back to back Ballon d’Or trophies. Now he has set the bar high for him as well as Messi for the ongoing season.

At the age of 30, he already has numerous footballing records to his name. With a few more good years of football left in him, his status as one of the best players of all time will be cemented strongly.