Ruben Neves: 'I Can't See Anyone Better' Than 'Best Ever' Cristiano Ronaldo
June 11, 2019
Ruben Neves has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as football's "best ever" player following Portugal's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League final.
Per Joe Edwards of the Express and Star, the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder said: "I can't see anyone better than him. Cristiano is the best. He showed that in the semi-finals and again (in the final). We are lucky to have him in our team."
Asked if Ronaldo is the greatest in history, he added: "Of course, yes. For me, he's the best ever, and I'm a really lucky guy to play with him."
The Mirror's John Cross was quick to praise the Juventus forward after Portugal lifted the inaugural Nations League trophy on Sunday:
Their victory continued a remarkable record for Ronaldo in finals:
The 34-year-old had a quiet game for Portugal against the Netherlands, and it's worth remembering he sat out the entire group stage of the Nations League, so he played no part in getting them to the finals.
He did bag a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-final, though:
His efforts took him to 88 goals for Portugal—only Iran's Ali Daei has more international goals in the men's game—and he has netted an astonishing 601 times over the course of his club career, too.
Though Ronaldo went off injured in the first half of the 2016 UEFA European Championship final, in which Portugal beat France 1-0 after extra time, the fact that he has now won two international trophies has added yet more fuel to the endless debate on whether he or Barcelona's Lionel Messi is better:
Messi's Argentina have fallen short in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final and the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016.
The two players' respective trophy hauls—international or domestic—should not have too much significance in such a debate, though.
As important a role as the pair have in collecting silverware, there are other factors at play when it comes to a team's success or failure, so it's too simplistic to boil down to the size of their trophy cabinets.
Messi will hope to end his run of disappointment on the international stage when Argentina compete in the Copa America this month. As for Ronaldo, he'll hope to help Portugal defend their European title next year at Euro 2020.
Whether they do or not, it makes little difference to their remarkable abilities as footballers.