“Vardy’s better than him” – Darren Bent delivers bold verdict on Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was at the center of a heated debate between Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT.

Bent was asked to pick the top 10 forwards in the English Premier League. While arranging his list, he put Jamie Vardy ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here's how the conversation between the two went:

Goldstein: "I've put Robbie Fowler down instead of Jamie Vardy."

Bent: "Nope. But Fowler is the best finisher we've ever seen."

Goldstein: "So you're choosing Vardy over the best finisher we've ever seen?"

Bent: "Yeah."

Goldstein: "Do you want to say that sentence back to yourself?"

Bent: "If you've ever played centre forward, you'll understand what I'm saying."

Goldstein: "Cristiano Ronaldo?"

Bent: "Yeah, Vardy's better than him. In terms of Premier League, Vardy. At centre forward, I'm going Vardy. Ronaldo's only recently been playing as a number nine, Vardy's been doing it the whole time."

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Is Jamie Vardy better than Cristiano Ronaldo in the Premier League?

Jamie Vardy is without an inkling of doubt a Leicester City legend. He was their top-scorer when the club won the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season. Vardy also went on to win the league's Golden Boot in the 2019-20 campaign, netting 23 goals.

Overall, he has scored 159 goals in 375 games for the Foxes. In comparison, Ronaldo has netted 133 goals in 322 games for Manchester United. Both players have comparatively similar stats. However, there are two factors here that can create a differential.

The first one is that Ronaldo spent his prime years away from Old Trafford. He only played for the Red Devils as a young winger and has now returned as a veteran forward. Vardy, however, was at Leicester while at the peak of his powers.

The second argument, which augers well for the Englishman, is that he played for a relatively smaller club compared to Ronaldo. The Portuguese, alternately, has had plenty of superstar players around him during his years at Manchester United.

Hence, it is rather tricky to pick a winner between them when we talk about the scope of the Premier League alone.

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Manchester United's plan for Ronaldo is not working

Manchester United re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo last summer to make a push for the league title this season. Despite the Portuguese forward netting 15 goals in 31 games across all competitions in the ongoing campaign, United are nowhere near challenging for the league.

They currently sit fourth in the standings with 47 points from 27 matches and even their attempt to secure a top-four berth is under threat. Arsenal, who are currently sixth, could race ahead of them if the Gunners win their three games in hand.