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#4 Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United legend
Cristiano Ronaldo once referred to Alex Ferguson as a father, and many Manchester United greats can relate to this view. It was Alex Ferguson who brought the star from Sporting in Portugal to the Theater of Dreams.
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It was Ferguson who provided Ronaldo with the playing time he needed to dramatically improve his career. Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Manchester United and his clinical goalscoring skills remain at their peak. For Ferguson, Ronaldo is one of the best ever. He said:
"We’ve had some great players at this club in my 20 years, but he’s up with the best.”
#3 Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid legend
While Zizou was a player at Real Madrid, he won six major titles, including the Champions League. When he came back as a manager, he catapulted Los Blancos to a remarkable 11 trophies, of which seven were continental.
His most important player through his managerial success? Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When you play with Ronaldo on your team, you are already 1-0 up."
#2 Carlos Quieroz | manager of Egypt national team
His tenure as manager at the Santiago Bernabeu might be undistinguished, but his work as the assistant manager of Manchester United was brilliant. Second in command to Alex Ferguson, Quieroz spent five years coaching Cristiano Ronaldo and the Red Devils. This gave him insight into Ronaldo's genius, comparing the star to Michael Jordan:
[He’s] a world star in soccer like Michael Jordan was in basketball … They have both been blessed with a genius that has never been seen before.
#1 Lionel Messi | Barcelona Legend, rival
Both players have shared the Ballon d'Or podium so many times over the past decade that there clearly isn't a better player than the duo. While Lionel Messi was in Barcelona, the rivalry matches against Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid had worldwide viewership. Everyone wanted to see both stars match up against each other.
Their rivalry, set in place by how exceptional they both are, hasn't stopped Messi from admiring just how brilliant Ronaldo is. He commented:
“(Ronaldo) is always there scoring goals in all the games and taking part in his club and national side. He has been doing that for many years and whether he is at his peak or a bit below it makes no difference.”
