Denmark coach Brian Riemer has explained why Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the "scariest" and trumps Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate "every day".
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
CR7 still going strong at 40 years of ageTakes great pleasure in silencing doubtersChasing down more major honours in 2025Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Two superstars of world football have spent the best part of two decades battling it out for the right to be considered the greatest of all time. Many have Messi at the top of that chart, with the Argentine icon now the most-decorated player in history – with eight Ballons d’Or and a World Cup crown figuring prominently on his glittering CV.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Ronaldo, though, has five Golden Balls of his own and has also broken countless records down the years. He is showing no sign of slowing down at 40 years of age, as he remains a talismanic presence for Portugal and Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr.
WHAT DENMARK COACH SAID
CR7 is back in trophy-hunting mode at present, as Portugal prepare to face Denmark in the Nations League quarter-finals, with Riemer telling when asked if Ronaldo still offers the biggest threat to any rival: "Yes, what a player! I think I've been asked, curiously, in the last three or four interviews I've done: ‘Messi or Ronaldo?’ For me, it's Ronaldo, every day!
"I've always admired this guy. I think he's not only achieved incredible numbers throughout his career – top scorer, trophies, there's no arguing about that – but he's also a great example for young people. His professionalism, the way he looks after his body, the way he's managed to continue all these years at the highest level."
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
Riemer added: "I think the big mistake a lot of people make with Ronaldo is that they've been too busy writing him off in recent years and every time they try to write him off, he becomes the top scorer, like now in the Nations League. So I have the deepest respect for him.
"I think he's still one of the scariest players you can face and I think he's in great shape. He's not the same as he was before, he's a different footballer now, but that doesn't make him any worse. He's different but he's still a great player. We have a lot of respect for him and we're looking forward to facing him."
