#2 He won two World Cups
Unlike many strikers of today, Ronaldo was not just a goal scorer, he was a complete footballer. And one thing he holds over Cristiano and Messi is his impact in the World Cup. The Brazilian won two World Cups, which could have been three had he not fallen ill before the 1998 final against France.
Ronaldo was part of a great Brazil team, featuring the likes of Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. However, he stood out anytime he was on the pitch. He was the team’s go-to man in the major tournaments and he always delivered too. Prior to the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo had been injured for the previous three years, yet he returned with aplomb, scoring eight goals to lead his nation to the ultimate.
At the end of his career, he scored a whopping 15 World Cup goals – a record which stood until it was broken in 2014 by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. Messi and Cristiano may be dominating football now, but they’ve never quite had the world at their feet as Ronaldo did in his prime.