Cristiano Ronaldo approaches his 40th birthday with the same confidence and self-esteem as he has always boasted throughout his successful career.

Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid star who now plays in Saudi Arabia, will turn 40 on Wednesday and apparently has no doubt about who should be considered the best soccer player ever.

“I am the greatest scorer in history,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta. “Although I am not left-footed, I am in the top 10 in history for goals scored with the left foot. These are numbers, I am the most complete player who has ever existed.

“I play well with my head, I take good free kicks, I am fast, I am strong, I jump… I have never seen anyone better than me.”

The Portugal star holds most scoring records in men’s international soccer, including most appearances with 217 and most goals with 135.

He had said it before, more than once, that he feels he will go out as the best ever in the history of soccer. Whenever he was asked about the discussion of who is better, him or Lionel Messi, he always praised the Argentine but ended siding with himself.

Ronaldo’s most recent comments prompted a few reactions in the soccer world.

“I have a lot of respect for Cristiano and I don’t have to analyze his opinions. It’s what he thinks. I have my own thoughts and it isn’t that,” said Javier Mascherano, a former teammate of Messi and his current coach at Inter Miami.

-AFP

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A real estate investment trust, launched by Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, has made its Spanish market debut at 57.4 euros per share, giving it a market capitalisation of 223 million euros ($232.12 million).

Messi, the Inter Miami player and former FC Barcelona forward, is named as chairman of Edificio Rostower Socimi’s board in documents published by the Portfolio Stock Exchange, a European alternative market that is supervised by the Bank of Spain.

Edificio Rostower owns seven hotels in Spain and Andorra, three office spaces and five apartments in Spain, as well as apartments in London and Paris, the documents said.

Founded in 2013, the company posted a 1.7 million euro loss in 2023, according to records the Portfolio Stock Exchange published.

Edificio Rostower did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its stock market debut, which took place on Monday.

Most of the company’s investments are in the Spanish region of Catalonia, where Messi, 37, moved in 2000 when he was 13 years old to join FC Barcelona’s youth teams.

He lived there until 2021 when he unexpectedly left FC Barcelona to sign for Paris St Germain after the heavily indebted Catalan club said it could not afford to keep him because of La Liga’s financial fair play rules.

The eight-times Ballon d’Or winner has long said he plans to return to live in Barcelona with his wife and three children after he retires from soccer.

Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, is the board’s vice-president. The other members of the board are Alfonso Nebot, who runs Messi’s family office, and Ramon Adell, who is a board member of Spanish energy company Naturgy (NTGY.MC), opens new tab.

-Reuters

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A growing speculation that football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo may switch faith to Islam has been further fuelled by Waleed Abdullah, the former goalkeeper of his Saudi Arabia club, Al-Nassr.

According to Morocco World News, Abdullah remarked during a programme, Al-Hissa Al-Akhira, that Ronaldo is open to conversion to Islam.

The former Al -Nassr goalkeeper cited Ronaldo’s clear integration and adaptation to Saudi Arabian culture to back the claim.

“Ronaldo genuinely wants to convert to Islam. I spoke to him about it, and he expressed interest. He has already prostrated on the field after scoring, and he always encourages the players to pray and follow Islamic religious practices,” said the former Saudi international.

Abdullah went on to explain that Ronaldo has taken a deep interest in local culture, especially Islam and its practices, in order to better respect and understand his Muslim teammates.

Demonstrating a great deal of kindness toward them, the Portuguese star has ensured that his teammates have time to pray between training sessions.

Abdullah shared more insights into Cristiano Ronaldo’s growing interest in Islam, revealing how the superstar has shown respect for Islamic practices since his arrival in Saudi Arabia.

“When the call to prayer sounds during training, Ronaldo asks the coach to pause the session until it’s finished,” Abdullah explained.

“In the beginning, I was close to Cristiano because he wasn’t familiar with the country’s culture, the club, or other aspects. He was curious and often asked me questions about certain details.”

According to Abdullah, Ronaldo has always been interested in converting to Islam. Before his move to Al-Nassr in the winter of 2023, reports suggested that his former Real Madrid teammates, Mesut Özil and Karim Benzema, had tried to convince him to become a Muslim. 

The former Al-Nassr goalkeeper  pointed out a particularly telling moment: “When Ronaldo prostrated on the field after scoring, all the players shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ in unison.”

However, Abdullah added to Al-Hissa Al-Akhira that regardless of whether Ronaldo decides to embrace Islam, his discipline and commitment as a player are unquestionable.

“He is an extremely disciplined and dedicated player, and it’s this discipline that has brought him to this position,” he said.

Abdullah also spoke about Ronaldo’s humility, noting that both he and his son behave with simplicity and warmth toward others. 

“Anyone who comes to Saudi Arabia appreciates him and feels comfortable with him,” he added.