Yesterday, at the prestigious "Ballon d'Or" award ceremony, Cristiano Ronaldo received his fifth "Golden Ball" on the Eiffel Tower.
France Football magazine and journalists from around the world chose the 32-year-old forward of the Portuguese national team as the best footballer of the year. He left Lionel Messi behind and repeated his record.
Shortly after the award ceremony, France Football released an interview with the star of Real Madrid, in which he didn't hesitate to praise himself and say who is truly the best footballer in history.
"I am the best player in football history - I have been the best and worst at times," Ronaldo told the football magazine.
"I respect everyone's opinion, but I have not seen a better footballer than myself. I always had that in my mind. No player can do what I do. There is no more 'complete' footballer than me: I play with both feet, I am fast, strong, I can play with my head, score goals, and provide assists.
I know there are people who prefer Neymar or Lionel Messi. But I will tell you one thing: there is no footballer like me.
No one has won more individual awards than me. I am not just talking about the 'Ballon d'Or.' It says something about me, right? This is not just because I spend a lot of time in the gym, as others think. It all comes from many factors. Legends like Mayweather and LeBron James did not reach such heights by accident. Results depend on many factors. To be at the highest level and stay there, you need more talent than others.
I won the 'Golden Ball' before Messi received his first, but then he won four in a row. I won't hide and say that I wasn't upset about it. I used to attend the ceremonies and leave without the main prize. At some point, I didn't want to travel there anymore because I had lost motivation. I didn't want to go there just to take a photo with others.
But step by step, I came back. I told myself that life consists of two stages - beginning and end, and in football it's different - everything consists of the end, not the beginning. I was patient and over those years I managed to win four 'Golden Balls,' - concluded the best footballer of the year.
