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Real Madrid star James Rodriguez has lavished praise on former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, labelling him as the deadliest player he has played with.
The Real Madrid midfielder, in his latest interview with Rio Ferdinand, described what separates Cristiano Ronaldo from the rest of the elite footballers. He also spoke about a potential switch to the EPL, and named the five best players he has shared the dressing room with.
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest ever player to have donned the famous white of Real Madrid. He scored an astonishing 450 goals in 438 appearances for the club and collected as many as 16 trophies.
His burgeoning knack to succeed with each passing game makes the difference. The Portuguese's endless energy and skill put him right up there with the pantheon of the greatest Real Madrid players.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is always hungry for goals," says Real Madrid's Rodriguez
Rodriguez, meanwhile, switched to Real Madrid following an outstanding 2014 World Cup where he scooped the Golden Boot award.
He witnessed the magic and constancy of Ronaldo for three years, with the pair winning two UCL titles together. While Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus, Rodriguez was loaned out to German side Bayern Munich.
All in all, Rodriguez has 37 goals in 125 appearances for Real Madrid.
When asked about what an ideal striker would be like ahead of him, Rodriguez recalled some of his former teammates. The playmaker listed Radamel Falcao, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema as some of the best forwards he has had in front of him. However, the 28-year-old claimed that none of them have the hunger and desire that Cristiano Ronaldo owned. He said:
"I think the one who is always hungry for goals, the one who always wants to score goals, is Cristiano Ronaldo. I had a great relationship with him. When I had the ball, Cristiano was always there, so I think I was fine with him."
The Real Madrid playmaker continued:
"It's hard to compare and say who is the best because all of them were good players, but I think Cristiano is the deadliest of all."
Rodriguez is widely known for his excellent vision, creativity and ability to combine with his teammates in the final third. Unfortunately, he has found it difficult to adapt to the Real Madrid system ever since Carlo Ancelotti left the club.
He has been pushed down the Real Madrid pecking order this term by Zinedine Zidane, have amassed just eight La Liga appearances.
Ferdinand asked him if he would like to switch to the EPL, a league that he believes is the toughest. Rodriguez remarked on the same:
"Well, I'm almost 30 years old, it's all a little shorter now. I don't know, football is uncertain now. Football changes a lot, from one day to the other. But, it's a league that is worth play, especially in a big team."
The Real Madrid ace concluded by naming the five best players he has played with. His list includes three Real Madrid stars in Cristiano Ronaldo, club captain Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema. The other two names are Bayern Munich's legendary duo Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
Rodriguez will be hoping to make a difference for Real Madrid when they take on Espanyol in the La Liga, on June 28.
Also read: Real Madrid ponder over stunning bid for ex-Barcelona ace Thiago
