Cristiano Ronaldo has once again declared himself the greatest footballer of all time. The 41-year-old Portuguese star also spoke about his long-running rivalry with Lionel Messi, saying they pushed each other throughout their careers, according to infohub.kz.
Ronaldo made the remarks in an interview with CNN Portugal, speaking to journalist Edu Aguirre. The conversation was recorded about a year ago but only aired now.
The Portuguese forward stressed that his view of his own place in football history rests in part on his statistical achievements.
"I'm the best of all time, period. The numbers speak for themselves. I don't know anyone better than me. History is already written. I could retire today and have no regrets," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by Gazetaexpress.com.
The forward also addressed comparisons with Messi. Ronaldo believes their years-long rivalry helped both players maintain a high level. As an analogy, he cited the battle between Formula 1 legends Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
"One always motivated the other, like Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in Formula 1," Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo's comments came amid a difficult spell with the Portugal national team. In late September, the forward left the squad early after being left on the bench in a match against Norway. He later explained his decision as stemming from a conflict with head coach Jorge Jesus, but stressed that he is not retiring from the national team.