5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest athlete in history

#3 His drive

Cristiano Ronaldo is a global icon

Not only is Cristiano Ronaldo extremely dedicated to his professionalism, but he also matches that with the drive to remain at the top which is arguably unmatchable anywhere in the world.

The five-time UEFA Champions League winner became the best player in the world in 2008, prompting a world record move to Real Madrid along with which came fame, fortune and power.

The Portuguese has evolved from being just a footballer into one of the most instantly recognizable faces in the world. A global brand whose endorsement is valued at millions of dollars, leading numerous global giants to want to be associated with the CR7 brand.

After a decade of being a global icon and doing it all, the normal human would have taken a backseat to revel in all that he/she has achieved (we have seen this countless times in other sports and fields) and Ronaldo would have been forgiven if he had decided to tow the same line.

At 34 and with all that he has achieved, the normal route would have been to head to a lesser league for one final major payday (numerous players with less achievements and abilities have done so), but it is simply not in Ronaldo's nature to settle for less.

Having conquered the international scene as well as the Premier League and La Liga, the legendary player turned his sights to lands unexplored, heading to the Serie A to attempt to rewrite the record books and he is doing so with much aplomb.

Despite having done everything achievable in football, Ronaldo continues to raise the bar high for himself, setting personal milestones for him to break and with his unmatchable drive to constantly raise the bar higher, it is hard to argue against Ronaldo being the GOAT.