Cristiano Ronaldo is like marmite; you either love him or you hate him. To most of us, the Portugal legend is the epitome of class. Ronaldo is always involved in charity work, both in and outside of football, and his efforts off the pitch show that he is a decent human being.

But he will mostly be remembered for his performances on the pitch. At 32 years old, he should be slowing down but Ronaldo just enjoyed one of the best years of his glittering career. In 55 appearances for club and country last season, Ronaldo bagged 55 goals, averaging exactly one goal every game; an incredible record.

When you’re talking about the best players of all-time, a few names usually crop up. The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and Ronaldo’s close rival Lionel Messi are all up there – as is the Real Madrid man himself. Ronaldo has been there and done it all, winning everything there is to win on an individual level whilst achieving plenty of team success at both Madrid and Manchester United.

Since storming onto the scene at Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo has gone from strength to strength and he is now arguably the best player on the planet. With four Ballon d’Or awards and a fifth likely to follow at the end of 2017, the Portuguese has to be considered in the same bracket as Messi – if not higher.

The Barcelona man has enjoyed a phenomenal career, winning five Ballon d’Or accolades and he deserves to go down in history as one of the greatest to play the game. Messi has helped Barcelona to win 30 trophies during his tenure at Camp Nou and he has also won a record-tying four European Golden Shoes; tied with none other than Ronaldo himself.

Of course, while comparisons are inevitable, football fans should enjoy both men while they still can – age will eventually catch up with the two La Liga stars. For now, though, Messi and Ronaldo will continue to dominate European football for the foreseeable future.

Just as both men will dominate, so too will their respective clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two giants of Spanish football will almost certainly be involved in yet another two-horse race for the La Liga crown and defending champions Real will be desperate to retain the title. As of July 11th, Ronaldo’s side are 10/11 in La Liga betting markets to do just that and it would take a brave man to back against Los Blancos.

Whether you are a Ronaldo fan or prefer Messi, one thing is for sure: both men are legends of their generation and deserve plenty of respect and recognition for their achievements on the football field. Ronaldo has come a long way since making his Sporting debut and the fact that he has been there and done it in both Spain and England may just give him an added edge over his arch rival in the history books.

Source: Cristiano Ronaldo via Facebook