Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane will now always claim that his star man Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player of all-time.

Over the last ten years, football fans have been arguing amongst themselves over who is truly the GOAT [Greatest of all-time].

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo have won five Ballon d'Or awards apiece and are set to face off in a Saturday lunchtime El Clasico fixture this weekend.

Speaking earlier in December, Zidane was asked in a news conference if he believes Ronaldo is the greatest to ever play the game.

“Yes. His numbers speak for it, both in terms of what he has done and what’s still to come,” said Real Madrid's French manager.

”I want him here forever. He’s really happy in Madrid and he’ll finish his career here, he said it himself. There’s no more words you can use to describe Cristiano. What he does is phenomenal."

After leading Madrid to a Champions League and La Liga double, the 32-year-old Portuguese forward has only managed to score four league goals so far this season.

Ronaldo will be desperate to silence his critics when Madrid host the Catalan league leaders on Saturday.

What Zidane said in 2009

Just weeks after Ronaldo joined 'Los Blancos' from Manchester United in a world record £80m transfer, Zidane was asked to name the greatest footballer around.

Messi and Ronaldo had already begun their era of dominance but Zizou - then an advisor to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez - was yet to be convinced by either of them.

"There are very good footballers in the world, like Cristiano Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi, but the best for me is Ribery," Zidane told ESPN, as per Goal, in 2009.

"And I am not saying that because he is French, but because he is very good."

Nowadays, you'll find Zidane fight Ronaldo's corner.

Ribery is still plying his trade at Bayern Munich but never managed to pick up a Ballon d'Or award himself, finishing 3rd in 2013 behind Ronaldo and Messi.

The 34-year-old winger has achieved incredible success during his 10-year stay in Munich - but has failed to break the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly.