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Cristiano Ronaldo has been told he "doesn't have the genius" of fellow footballing greats such as Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Ronaldo Nazario by former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello.
The Portugal and Al-Nassr superstar is still going strong at the age of 41, and remains on track to score 1,000 career goals before he retires, but has been told he's still not one of the very best.
Ronaldo still in the spotlight
Ronaldo may be in the twilight of his incredible career, but he remains headline news around the world. His recent spat with Al-Nassr, which has seen him miss the team's last two matches due to a dispute over transfer activity, has seen the 41-year-old thrust into the spotlight once again. On the pitch, Ronaldo has continued to find the back of the net on a regular basis in the Saudi Pro League. He has scored 17 goals in 18 league games this term as he bids to win a first major trophy with Al-Nassr. Ronaldo already possesses an extensive trophy collection, having won all the major titles on offer across spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, and he is expected to be part of Portugal's team for World Cup 2026 in the summer.
The Portugal superstar has also vowed to keep playing until he hits 1,000 career goals, telling the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai back in December:"My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn't matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going. You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries."
A great goalscorer but not a genius
Despite Ronaldo's huge success, ex-Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus boss Capello has said that the Portugal superstar is still not quite on the same level as the true greats of the game. He told ON Sport's 'Hat-Trick' program: "Cristiano is a great goalscorer and an incredible athlete, but he doesn't have the genius of Messi, Maradona or Ronaldo Nazario. That genius that the others possessed is absent in Cristiano. He can't be compared to those three."
The Italian managed Ronaldo Nazario during his time in charge of Real Madrid and also admitted: "Ronaldo Nazario was a negative leader who threw huge parties and didn't want to train."
He also spoke about Real Madrid's great rivals Barcelona, saying the Catalans play "beautiful and very entertaining football," but added "Barça's weakness is their constant reliance on the offside trap. Sometimes, by a few centimeters, you find the opponent alone in front of the goal."
Ronaldo's view on the GOAT debate
Ronaldo and Messi have long been dubbed as two of the GOATs of the game. Messi admitted after winning the World Cup win with Argentina in 2023 that he had "achieved everything" the game has to offer, but Ronaldo does not agree that makes him the better player. He said in an interview with Piers Morgan: "Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don't want to be humble.
He went on to add: "If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it's not a dream. Define what? To define if I'm one of the best of the history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it's fair?"
What comes next for Ronaldo?
Al-Nassr have had to cope without Ronaldo recently but will hope their talisman is back in action on Saturday in the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo has been training with the team and is expected to be available for the clash against Al-Fateh. Al-Nassr currently sit one point behind Al-Hilal at the top of table, with Ronaldo reportedly left frustrated by his team's lack of activity in the January transfer window. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, who are also owned by the country's Public Investment Fund, brought in Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad.
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