Months after claiming he 'wasn't friends' with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville names ex-Manchester United man as the GOAT

A few months after claiming he wasn't friends with Cristiano Ronaldo, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has now named the Portuguese legend the Greatest of All Time.

Back in November 2024, Neville categorically stated that he had never been friends with the Al-Nassr star. He made this comment when quizzed about his relationship with Ronaldo after an infamous pitchside incident during the Portuguese's second spell with the Red Devils.

Neville had criticized Roanldo and called for his exit from the club following a rift with then-manager Erik ten Hag. During a pre-match build-up for a league clash with West Ham United in October 2022, Neville, Louis Saha, and Jamie Redknapp were on broadcast duties. Ronaldo exchanged pleasantries with the latter two but ignored Neville.

When questioned about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo on The Overlap US, Neville said (via TalkSport):

“He's never not been my friend."

"To be fair, I never spoke to him before that for eight or nine years. I wasn’t friends with Cristiano when I played at the club. He was a great teammate, a special player."

However, the former England international recently named the five-time Ballon d'Or winner the GOAT ahead of rival Lionel Messi. In an interview with GOAL USA, Neville was asked if Messi is the greatest player of all time. The 46-year-old replied:

"No."

When asked who his GOAT was, he said:

"I got Cristiano."

Watch the video below:

Cristiano Ronaldo and Garry Neville played together at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009. They shared the pitch on 138 occasions, recording three joint-goal contributions.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's record at Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo notably had two spells at Manchester United. The 39-year-old first joined the Red Devils from Sporting CP in 2003 where he emerged as one of the best players in the game.

During his first stint with the club, the Portuguese icon won nine major trophies including three league titles, the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup. He scored 118 goals and provided 59 assists in 292 games, notably winning the 2008 Ballon d'Or award.

Ronaldo left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2009 and returned 13 years later, joining for a second spell from Juventus. However, he failed to win any title with the club this time around, contributing 27 goals and five assists in 54 appearances

He left the club on a controversial basis in November 2022 after failing out with Erik ten Hag and the club board. He joined Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Nassr in January 2023 where he now plays.