5 Greatest Portuguese footballers of all time

#2. Cristiano Ronaldo:

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has to be one of the best footballers of all time, and also happens to be one of the best born in Portugal. Sir Alex Ferguson signed him as a precocious teenager from Sporting Lisbon, and he dazzled the world with his sublime skills and extraordinary performances in the six seasons he spent at Manchester United.

He started his career as a winger, but gradually developed into a great center-forward and a goal-scoring machine. He scored 118 goals in 292 matches for United and won 3 Premier League's and 1 Champions League title with them. Ronaldo formed a superb attack at United along with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, as they continued to dominate English football.

Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 and reached even greater heights while playing for them. He scored an incredible 450 goals in 438 matches for Real in his 9 seasons with them, and also won 5 Champions League, 2 LaLiga and 5 Ballon d’Ors. He also formed a great rivalry with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, as those two shared the Ballon d’Or between themselves for a decade.

Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018 and is quite likely to win his maiden Serie A title with them. He has also earned 154 caps for his national side, the highest by any Portuguese footballer. Ronaldo has also scored 85 goals for his national team and won the Euro 2016 title with them.

Ronaldo is blessed with all the qualities an attacking player should have. He has electrifying pace, can shoot with both his feet, is a great dribbler and has a good header. He has regularly beaten the best defences in the world with ease and reached the zenith of world football.