Football legend Ronaldo Nazario claims it was much harder to be recognised as the best during his generation as he tried to air his opinion on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo who was the king of the box a few years ago and also a crowned World best player now watches on from a distance as Messi and Ronaldo dominate the best player award prize.
The Brazilian however, was clear that both the Argentine and the Portuguese will continue to go head-to-head for the top awards but he could not help but talk about the difficulties in being the best back in his time.
“In my generation, the competition was much bigger than it is now, without wanting to belittle Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“They will fight for the title of the best player in the world in the coming years, but in my time we had [Zinedine] Zidane, Rivaldo, [Luis] Figo, me, and then Ronaldinho.
“That was a generation in which being the best was much more difficult.” the former striker who is now a world ambassador of Real Madrid said in an interview with Sport Bild.
Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, in 1996, 1997 and 2002, and the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002, as well as the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 1998.
He was La Liga Best Foreign Player in 1997, when he also won the European Golden Boot after scoring 34 goals in La Liga, and he was named Serie A Footballer of the Year in 1998.
The 41-year old former striker was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest living players compiled in 2004 by Pelé, and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
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