PL midfielder claims Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player he's ever played against

Premier League star Jefferson Lerma has revealed that he believes Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player he has ever faced on the football pitch. The Colombian international is lucky to have played against most of the best players of the current generation, including Lionel Messi.

Crystal Palace midfielder Lerma is in his first season at Selhurst Park and has fit into Roy Hodgson's side with ease. The 29-year-old has been a regular for the Eagles since joining them from Bournemouth after his contract at the Vitality Stadium expired.

Lerma spoke with TalkSport ahead of his side's Premier League clash against high-flying Liverpool on Saturday. Unfazed by the prospect of facing Mohamed Salah, the midfielder talked about the quality of the players he has faced in his career while declaring Cristiano Ronaldo as the best.

“I’ve been lucky enough to come up against some of the biggest stars, [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo in their best moments.

“That’s given me more experience to come up against such good players. In terms of tomorrow, coming up against another great player in Salah, the most important thing is to stop him from having a good game.

“It’s very difficult to say [who’s the best I’ve faced] but probably Cristiano Ronaldo.

“They’re totally different but they’re all at the top of their game for a reason: they work hard, and that’s why they’re so successful.”

Jefferson Lerma faced both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while he played for Levante in La Liga between 2015 and 2018. He has also faced the latter multiple times at the international level as they often find themselves face-to-face in CONMEBOL matches.

Lerma has featured 12 times across all competitions for Crystal Palace this season, missing four games through injury. The experienced midfielder will play a key role in midfield for the Eagles in their match against Liverpool on Saturday.

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Cristiano Ronaldo still dominating the global scene

Cristiano Ronaldo has held sway as one of the best players in the world since he burst onto the scene at Manchester United. The Portuguese great won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2008 and has since won it four more times.

Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Nassr in January and has performed excellently since then. The 38-year-old has scored more goals this year than other high-level forwards in Europe, a testament to his continued dominance.

The Portuguese great scored 10 goals to help his country reach Euro 2024, finishing the qualifiers as the top goalscorer. He is also the leading goalscorer in the Saudi Pro League with 16 goals this season and will look to add another title to his CV.