"Maybe there is some grudge" - When pundit claimed Ronaldo Nazario and Thierry Henry don't appreciate Cristiano Ronaldo enough

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand once alleged that Cristiano Ronaldo is not appreciated enough by Ronaldo Nazario and Thierry Henry. Ronaldo and Henry, two of the greatest forwards of the 21st century, have not hidden their preference for Lionel Messi over the Portuguese star over the years.

Back in March 2024, Ferdinand was a guest on the Andreas Poke podcast on YouTube, where he pointed out that he feels Cristiano is disrespected by the pair. He alleged that with Ronaldo Nazario, the problem could be because of the similarity of their names, and with Henry, his Manchester United affiliation.

“Maybe there is some resentment. It's because of the name, ok? He (Ronaldo Nazario) must think 'you stole my name and that's why I have a problem with you'. It’s the same with Henry. The way I see him talking about Cristiano… it’s more about what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t talk about him with any enthusiasm, it’s as if he’s devaluing him," Ferdinand said.

"There was a situation at Highbury [Arsenal’s old stadium] where Henry got a blow to the back of the head and Cristiano pushed him. Then Cristiano scored the winning goal for United… I think he still thinks about moments like that," he added.

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Ronaldo Nazario rubbishes Cristiano Ronaldo's GOAT claims

Brazilian legend and two-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo Nazario has rubbished claims from Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo that he is the most complete footballer ever. The former Barcelona and Real Madrid man was in complete disagreement with the verdict of the 40-year-old forward.

The Al-Nassr star recently appeared in an interview where he claimed to be greater than all of Pele, Lionel Messi, and the other legends of the game.

In an interview with ESPN, Ronaldo Nazario simply pointed out that it is better to let others do such praising and not do it to oneself.

“I don’t really like to get into this. I think people have too much self-esteem. I prefer people to talk about what I did and who I was rather than talking about myself. Cristiano Ronaldo has a fantastic story. He won everything, scored goals in every possible way. He is definitely among the best in history. Now, I don’t agree with the best. But I respect his opinion... I would say he is easily in the top 10.”

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to turn heads at the age of 40 in the Saudi Pro League, where he leads the goalscoring charts for this season. With over 900 goals scored in his storied career, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is aiming to become the first player to score 1,000 professional goals.