Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game. That is undisputed.For all of his critics, you simply cannot look past his continually superhuman performances, which have seen him rack up five Ballon d'Or awards and break countless individual records.We will never get a definitive answer to who is better between himself and Lionel Messi, but in truth, we don't need one. We're merely fortunate to have witnessed the two out of this world athletes share the field in their primes.Having said that, it always seems to be Ronaldo who has had to answer his critics more regularly, despite being the one to replicate his unfathomable levels across a host of Europe's top five leagues.Neither Ronaldo nor Messi can ever escape that scrutiny, in truth. But at the same time, Ronaldo has never shied away from the pressure of being the best, either. In fact, he's always thrived under that pressure, and wanted to shoulder the expectation.His mentality cannot be doubted. And if his performances in his return season for Manchester United don't prove that, where he scored 24 goals in 39 appearances at the age of 37, then you only have to look at his accolades and stats at Juventus, or Real Madrid, or again, United. Seriously, the guy is a force of nature.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United applauds their fans after the final whistle of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford at Old Trafford on May 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)It still comes as a surprise when Ronaldo shows off his superhuman footballing abilities in a bid to certify himself as the greatest of all time, but perhaps it shouldn't, because it's certainly no surprise to himself.An interview clip from 2007 shared by @FootyHumour on Twitter has absolutely blown up this week, where Ronaldo is quizzed on who the best player of all time is alongside then United teammates Rio Ferdinand and Anderson.The interviewer - a younger, long-haired Tubes from Soccer AM - first poses the question to Ferdinand, who gives an honest response of Diego Maradona. Perhaps a shock not to hear Pele's name, but a more than acceptable answer, especially considering we hadn't seen just how extraordinarily good Ronaldo and Messi would become.Ronaldo, standing between his two teammates, is next up to reply. And his answer is perhaps the most Ronaldo answer ever. You can watch the brilliant clip below.
WATCH: Ronaldo calls himself the GOAT during 2007 interview
'Me' he replies, prompting a wry smile from Ferdinand to his left. Ronaldo, though, remains straight-faced and as ice cold as ever. You can tell he genuinely believes he is - or certainly can be - exactly that; the greatest of all time.
Considering that the Portugal international has since become the record scorer in men's international football, Real Madrid's leading scorer, the Champions League record scorer, assister and appearance maker, and has won over 30 major honours including five Champions Leagues throughout a career that has seen him score over 800 goals, we think it's fair to say he has certainly staked his claim for GOAT status.
Truly absurd levels.
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It's just a shame that Ronaldo's ice cold answer was completely undermined by the even better answer given by Anderson to his right, moments later.
Playing off Ferdinand's response of Maradona, the Brazilian midfielder replied with: 'My name is Maradona' which sent his two teammates off into barrels of laughter, bringing the interview to an end in rather hilarious fashion.
Anderson did win the 2008 Golden Boy award and left United as a Premier League and Champions League winner, but never got anywhere near to fulfilling his potential, or living up to the new name he gave himself in that interview.