Cristiano Ronaldo news: 'Ronaldo will be remembered as an immortal like my father', says Johan Cruyff's son

What's the story?

Jordi Cruyff, son of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, believes that Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo sits at the same elite table as his father and will be remembered in the same way for years to come.

In case you didn't know...

Johan Cruyff began his career at Ajax, the team Juventus will face in the Champions League quarter-finals, where he won eight Eredivisie titles, three European Cups and one Intercontinental Cup. He also won the Spanish domestic title during his successful stint at Barcelona.

Cruyff is the all-time Eredivisie top scorer for Ajax with 204 goals and in 1974, he became the first player to win the Ballon d'Or three times.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, enjoyed unprecedented success in different top leagues, having won the Premier League with Manchester United and La Liga with Real Madrid. The Portuguese has his fair share of Champions League trophies and has won the Ballon d'Or a record five times along with Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

The 34-year-old forward now continues his exploits in the Serie A, where he has netted 23 goals in all competitions so far. After sitting out three games owing to injury, Ronaldo will return to action during the Champions League clash against Ajax.

The heart of the matter

Jordi has compared Ronaldo to his late father, who has influenced modern football greatly, both as a player and a coach.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Jordi said, "In football, there are so many mortals and very few immortals: I can say that, like my father, Cristiano will always be remembered."

Speaking ahead of the big Champions League clash, Jordi hailed the present Ajax team saying, "This Ajax plays the football that my father would have loved. Young, happy, daring, attacking. In Amsterdam, it never changed. This generation has more talent than others and always controls the ball. It is a pleasure for the eyes to see them play."

He added, "Juventus? Italian football has changed. Now Italians score and play a lot more. The mirror is Buffon: over the years he has had to use his feet much more. Certainly, at Juve, there is always a good defensive organisation but they also know how to create."

What's next?

Ajax will host Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash tonight.