Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed as GOAT as ex-Man Utd star highlights Messi and names three other legends with different talents amid ongoing debate.
Manchester United legend Jaap Stam says he “cannot agree” that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo claimed last month that he is the football GOAT as he nears 1,000 career goals. However, former Man Utd defender Stam disagrees, insisting that legends like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, and Johan Cruyff should also be in the conversation.
WHAT JAAP STAM SAID
“I cannot agree with Cristiano Ronaldo that he is the best player of all time. You have to consider Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, Johan Cruyff and other players who are talented in different ways. Ronaldo is of course up there with the best players of all time, even at the age of 40 he is playing at a high level and is so fit and is still scoring goals. It’s unbelievable the level of football that he is still at and he deserves a lot of credit, he built up his career in Portugal and went to the UK, Spain, you name it. He has written history and changed how he plays during his career. Having said that, I can’t agree that he is the best player in history. A lot of people prefer Lionel Messi but you have to have respect for Ronaldo and what he has brought to the world of football. He has such a presence and is up there with the best ever.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ronaldo and Messi are undoubtedly the best of their generation and will be remembered as football legends. However, declaring a single GOAT is challenging, as players from different eras never faced each other and played under varying conditions, opponents, and circumstances.
WHAT NEXT?
At 40 years old, Ronaldo has the chance to increase his goal count when Portugal faces Denmark in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final on Thursday.
