REAL MADRID LEGEND Jorge Valdano believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s unrivaled ego is the main motivation behind his incredible list of achievements.
Ronaldo declared himself the “best player in history” after winning a fifth Ballon d’Or last week , equalling Lionel Messi’s record mark.
His comments sparked fresh discussion from current and former players as to his place among the game’s greats and how he compares to the Barcelona star.
Valdano, who enjoyed successful stints with Los Blancos as both player and manager, believes Ronaldo is fuelled by his inner-drive rather than his rivalry with Messi.
“Cristiano has the most profitable ego in the history of football,” Valdano told Spanish broadcaster Onda Cero .
“He has an extraordinary amount of confidence in himself and that’s allowed him to improve a lot.
“There are people who are confused by their ego and it turns into an excess of confidence. He puts it to work every week.
“Messi and Cristiano have opposite profiles but I do not think either of them accepts advice. They are capable of doing things few have done in the history of football.”
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Extremely talented but an absolute bell end for that statement.
@Martin Ryan: lighten up Martin. Ronaldo has proven over a sustained period of time that he can both talk the talk and back it up on the football pitch consistently. OK so he’s got a big ego but he’s so hard working and self driven that he can afford to be. Don’t forget he’s about the same age as Wayne Rooney, a player most fans would say has been washed up the past 4/5 years.
@Sloop John G: Rooney and Ronaldo are a case study in what happens an extraordinarily talented athlete when they don’t look after their bodies and work tirelessly on their game versus when they do.
@Lurfic: absolutely , Ronaldo gets off the plane from European games at maybe 3am and goes straight to the ice baths . Total professional , Messi only started to look after himself properly diet wise about 3 years ago , not drink but huge amounts of meat bbqs etc .
@Sloop John G: like I said, extremely talented. Along with a host of other pro and former pro footballers. Who has ever come out saying this shite before besides Lord Bendtner? What a clown.