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'Cristiano has the most profitable ego in the history of football' - Real legend Valdano

The Portugal superstar is not driven by his rivalry with the Barcelona forward, instead by his desire for self-improvement.

REAL MADRID LEGEND Jorge Valdano believes Cristiano Ronaldoโ€™s unrivaled ego is the main motivation behind his incredible list of achievements.

Ronaldo declared himself the โ€œbest player in historyโ€ after winning a fifth Ballon dโ€™Or last week , equalling Lionel Messiโ€™s record mark.

His comments sparked fresh discussion from current and former players as to his place among the gameโ€™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.

โ€œCristiano has the most profitable ego in the history of football,โ€ Valdano told Spanish broadcaster Onda Cero .

โ€œHe has an extraordinary amount of confidence in himself and thatโ€™s allowed him to improve a lot.

โ€œThere are people who are confused by their ego and it turns into an excess of confidence. He puts it to work every week.

โ€œMessi 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.โ€

The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the yearโ€™s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Easonโ€™s, or order it here today (โ‚ฌ10):

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:23 PM

    Weโ€™ve a really good side but still lacking in the final third. We just donโ€™t seem to have a cutting edge up front and lack a decent playmaker to play killer passes. We could do with a second Katie McCabe in the middle to create some openings.

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    Mute Thomas Byrne
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    Nov 30th 2021, 9:24 PM

    @GrumpyAulFella: aged like milk

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    Mute
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:56 PM

    Oโ€™Sullivan is great at the back

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    Mute Lad_The
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    Nov 30th 2021, 2:20 PM

    Big test. This team has a history of choking when expected to win.

    Hopefully theyโ€™ll pass the test with flying colours tonight!

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