Cristiano Ronaldo's top 5 teammates of his career

There is nothing that Cristiano Ronaldo has not achieved in his life. Already one of the best players of all time with a few years of his career left to go, the Portuguese superstar has dominated wherever he has gone.

Starting his career at Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo has made a name for himself at Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Juventus - three of the biggest clubs in the world. A 5-time Ballon d'Or and Champions League winner, the forward has won every trophy there is to win at the club level, and he has won them all multiple times.

As great as Ronaldo is, he has played with some brilliant players across the years. Having spent the majority of his career at star-studded teams, the former Madrid player has shared the pitch with some greats of the game. Here, we take a look at the five best teammates Ronaldo has had in his career.

5. Luis Figo

Ronaldo played with the legendary Luis Figo for a while with Portugal

Quality-wise, there is perhaps only one other player on this list who was as good as Luis Figo. However, the former Portuguese international ranks fifth because he and Ronaldo shared the field only with their national team, and their time together was limited.

Before Ronaldo achieved legendary status with Real Madrid and won the Euros with Portugal in 2016, Figo was widely regarded as the greatest Portuguese player. When Ronaldo was just 18 years old, he was called up to the 2004 Euros and started playing regularly with Figo, who was the captain back then. The two formed a deadly combination upfront for their national team, and the then-teenager learnt a lot from his captain.

After a semi-final defeat in the 2006 World Cup, Figo called an end to his international career. He passed down his number 7 jersey to Ronaldo, who wears it to this day with pride. As two of the greatest wingers we have ever seen, there can be no doubt that the future Ballon d'Or winner took a lot of inspiration from his captain. As such, Figo's place in this list is warranted.

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4. Mesut Ozil

Granada CF v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Ronaldo has played with some of the greatest playmakers of this generation - Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso, Paul Scholes, etc. However, there was no one with which he had better on-field chemistry than Mesut Ozil.

The German international spent only 3 seasons with Real Madrid. However, 109 appearances were enough for him and Ronaldo to form one of the best striker-midfielder partnerships of this era. Ozil at Madrid was a superior player than the Ozil we see nowadays at Arsenal - the playmaker was much more agile, more aware of the final pass, and he could create chances out of thin air. Having the best finisher in the world ahead of him helped Ozil rack up some stunning assist numbers during his time at the Spanish capital - he had over 70 assists in just three seasons.

When the midfielder left for Arsenal, a lot of people were disappointed. Ronaldo was one of those people, as he and Ozil shared a telepathic connection that he has had with only a few players across his career.

3. Marcelo

Real Madrid Celebrate After Victory In The Champions League Final Against Liverpool

When Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave Real Madrid for Juventus, there was perhaps no one more dismayed than Marcelo. Not only did the fullback and winger have amazing chemistry on the field, they were also best friends of it.

Marcelo is one of the greatest left-backs of all time. Though he is defensively adept, it is at the offensive end that the Brazilian international shines. The left-back is brilliant at making forward runs and delivering deadly passes into the box, and no player benefited more from his attacking prowess than Ronaldo.

The two played together for a decade at Real Madrid, and they won everything there is to win. Ronaldo's simple one-two's and combination of plays with Marcelo left opposition defences in havoc. The forward and the defender combined amazingly well to create chances and space for each other, and they had a great understanding of where the other would be at any given point of time during the game. There is no doubt that Marcelo still misses his best friend, both on and off the field.

2. Wayne Rooney

Before Ronaldo became a legend at Real Madrid, he was achieving the best in the world status at Manchester United. The Red Devils shaped the Portuguese to be the superstar he is today, and there was no other player who had as much impact on him as Wayne Rooney.

A legend in his own right, Rooney and Ronaldo formed the deadliest duo in England for almost half a decade. Although the England international was a striker, he changed his game and adapted on the pitch to give more chances to his teammate, who thrived due to the player's selflessness.

In the six years the two played together, they scored over 200 goals together and it was almost impossible to stop them when they were in full flow. Like two peas in a pod, Rooney and Ronaldo just knew when to make the correct pass for the other person. Rooney's selflessness and playmaking combined with Ronaldo's finishing and his ability to create space made Manchester United England's most dominant team for years and years.

There is no doubt that United fans still miss these two, for it is quite easily the best partnership they have seen this century.

1. Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema is the best teammate Ronaldo has ever had

In terms of pure quality, the likes of Rooney and Figo are better players than Karim Benzema. However, when it comes to the best teammates that Cristiano Ronaldo has had, it would be a crime to place anybody other than the French international at the top of such a list.

Ronaldo's time at Madrid is the stuff of legends - more goals than appearances, 4 Ballon d'Ors and Champions League titles, innumerable goalscoring records to his name. However, most of these things would have been impossible if not for the presence of Benzema upfront.

Easily the most underrated forward of this generation, Benzema is an elite passer and creator of space in the final third. However, his best quality is his selflessness. With any other striker, Ronaldo might not have had the stats and the individual glory that he had with Benzema. Not only was the latter always accommodative for Ronaldo on the pitch, he went out of his way to ensure that the Portuguese was at the best position and received the best passes to finish.

Benzema plays for his team, and often, that meant playing to let Ronaldo score. He did not mind in the least. No player has helped Ronaldo as much as Benzema, and it is Real Madrid's great luck that they could pair one of the greatest ever with one of the most selfless.