{"id":22048,"date":"2026-01-30T18:01:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/cristiano-ronaldos-compatriots-ignore-him-as-the-best-player-of-all-time-and-are-surprised-by-his-choice\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:01:23","slug":"cristiano-ronaldos-compatriots-ignore-him-as-the-best-player-of-all-time-and-are-surprised-by-his-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/cristiano-ronaldos-compatriots-ignore-him-as-the-best-player-of-all-time-and-are-surprised-by-his-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s compatriots ignore him as the best player of all time and are surprised by his choice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"ue-c-article--first-letter-highlighted\"><span class=\"capital-letter\">T<\/span>The eternal debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time is reignited, but this time it has taken an unexpected turn. Nani, a former Manchester United player and teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal national team, put aside both CR7 and Lionel Messi when choosing soccer&#8217;s GOAT. His answer surprised many. For him, the best player of all time is Ronaldinho.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with ESPN, the Portuguese winger was asked about various categories in the history of football, from the best finisher to the most complete footballer. Although he recognized the talent of Messi and Cristiano, his final selection resulted in relegation of both in the most iconic category.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ue-c-article__summary\">\n<figure class=\"ue-c-article__media ue-c-article__media--video  video-dailymotion\"><figcaption class=\"ue-c-article__media-caption\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<p><span class=\"ue-c-article__media-description\">Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaces with brutal free kick that hits cameraman<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">Ronaldinho named the best soccer player of all time<\/h2>\n<p>When the ultimate question came: who is the greatest player of all time, Nani had no hesitation in leaning towards Ronaldinho. The Brazilian player, who became world champion in 2002 and won the Ballon d&#8217;Or in 2005, was chosen by the Portuguese as the footballer who best represented the essence of the sport.<\/p>\n<p>The choice did not go unnoticed, especially since Nani had shared the dressing room and title with Cristiano Ronaldo for years both at Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. But his criteria were more about the artistic influence and magic that Ronaldinho brought on the pitch.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">Messi and Cristiano admitted but expelled<\/h2>\n<p>Although Nani did not choose them as the GOAT, he did praise Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine was named the best playmaker of all time, highlighting his vision, collaboration and talent to create football in any situation.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was also not named the best player, with Nani choosing Brazilian Romario in this category. Moreover, in the category of best dribbler of all time, the former United player surprised once again by choosing Denilson over Messi, Cristiano or Ronaldinho.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">Nani&#8217;s message on the legacy of Messi and Cristiano<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond her own choices, Nani used this opportunity to send a clear message to her fans. In a statement published by GOAL in 2025, he called on Messi and Cristiano to enjoy their time in the league, remembering that football will change when they retire.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"ue-c-article__blockquote\">\n<p>Football is not the same without Cristiano and Messi, we must enjoy them while they are still playing<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ue-c-article__blockquote-author\">Nani<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;They are different players, they are competitive machines. The day they retire, football will not be the same,&#8221; said the Portuguese, underscoring the influence both have had even though they are no longer on the radar of Europe&#8217;s biggest clubs.<\/p>\n<p>With his choice, Nani does not intend to disrespect Messi or Cristiano, but wants to show respect to a different generation. For him, Ronaldinho embodies the joy, creativity and freedom that characterized a unique era in world football.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/football\/2026\/01\/30\/697cef6cca47417c528b4592.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TThe eternal debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time is reignited, but this time it has taken an unexpected turn. Nani, a former Manchester United player and teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal national team, put aside both CR7 and Lionel Messi when choosing soccer&#8217;s GOAT. His answer surprised many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cristiano Ronaldo&#039;s compatriots ignore him as the best player of all time and are surprised by his choice - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/cristiano-ronaldos-compatriots-ignore-him-as-the-best-player-of-all-time-and-are-surprised-by-his-choice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cristiano Ronaldo&#039;s compatriots ignore him as the best player of all time and are surprised by his choice - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TThe eternal debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time is reignited, but this time it has taken an unexpected turn. 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