What Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football is truly remarkable. However, some argue that his legacy is being tarnished by his behavior in his later years, such as his actions during his second season at Manchester United and potentially at Al-Nassr, where he reacts negatively when things don’t go his way, like when he’s taunted by Lionel Messi’s fans.
Nevertheless, Ronaldo remains one of the greatest players of all time, and his dedication to his craft makes him an exemplary role model for young athletes. In a recent podcast appearance, former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand discussed the comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and the Brazilian Ronaldo, his former teammate at Manchester United.
Rio Ferdinand reveals why Ronaldo does not like Cristiano Ronaldo
There are two Ronaldos in football, but when the name is mentioned, the first one that comes to mind is undoubtedly the Brazilian Ronaldo. His career was plagued by injuries despite his undeniable talent and threat as a striker, yet he is still regarded as the greatest striker of all time.
The other Ronaldo is approaching his 40s, and he continues to excel with each passing day. From this description, it’s clear who will likely boast about having had the better career when they reflect back ten years from now.
A few months ago, the Brazilian Ronaldo was asked to name the top eight strikers of all time, and he somehow managed not to put Cristiano Ronaldo on the list despite the Portuguese striker having more goals than anyone from his generation.
“Cristiano has to be in there,” Rio Ferdinand said. “There’s beef there somewhere. It’s something about the name,” he added.
Then, another person in the video provided a detailed explanation of why the older Ronaldo might feel a certain way about his namesake. “Because he was Ronaldo, wasn’t he? Then Cristiano comes along, and everyone refers to him as the ‘Fat Ronaldo,’ which is disrespectful,” he elaborated.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named after the former American president, Ronald Reagan, who was Cristiano’s father’s favorite actor before his political career eventually led him to the presidency of the United States.
Ferdinand details Cristiano Ronaldo’s history with Thierry Henry
Despite their fame and popularity, Cristiano Ronaldo is not the most likeable person in football. As a matter of fact, people tilt towards Lionel Messi because the Argentine has a more reserved nature, which means he ever hardly gets pissed, unlike his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rio Ferdinand also went on to point out how he thought Thierry Henry didn’t like Cristiano Ronaldo, despite everything he’s achieved as a global soccer icon and star. “Thierry is the same,” Ferdinand continued while talking about how some people don’t like Cristiano Ronaldo.
“The way I see Thierry talk about Cristiano, he doesn’t talk about him with any zest, with any spark. It’s almost like downplaying Cristiano a lot. There’s a video at Highbury when Thierry slapped Cristiano at the back of his head. Cristiano pushed him off and scored the winner, so there’s a little bit of a subplot story that makes it maybe still be in Thierry’s mind for moments like that,” he added.
Thierry Henry, 46, now works as a part-time pundit and the manager of the France U-21 team. Perhaps the most absurd thing about his career is that he never won the Ballon d’Or despite being one of the world’s greatest marksmen.
