09 December 2023 , 05:45
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In the eyes of many, Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer to play the game. Then there are some who Cristiano Ronaldo edges it.
There are even a fair few who believe that the title of best to ever play the game should go to Diego Maradona or Pele, but Jose Mourinho doesn't fall into any of those camps. Instead, the 'special one' believes that Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazario is the greatest talent to grace a football pitch.
Ronaldo, 'R9' as he is often referred to, was a global superstar long before Messi and Ronaldo emerged and remains an idol to many in his home country. The Brazilian won the World Cup twice, and collected two Ballon d'Or trophies during a glittering career playing for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, though the Champions League evaded him.
Unlike Messi and Ronaldo, who have both remained fit and avoided serious long-term injury for the majority of his career, the Selecao superstar suffered serious knee injuries, which often hampered him. Mourinho got an up close and personal perspective on the early stages of the Brazilian's career while at Barcelona.
While Mourinho was working under legendary boss Bobby Robson as an interpreter at the Camp Nou, it seems like Ronaldo made an impression on the Portuguese coach. Mourinho told LiveScore: "Ronaldo, El Fenomeno. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers, they have remained at the top every day for 15 years.
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"However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo. When he was at Barcelona with Bobby Robson, I realised that he was the best player I'd ever seen take to the field.
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Ronaldo Nazario is the greatest footballer of all time according to Jose Mourinho"Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible."
Mourinho isn't alone in his stance that Ronaldo sits top of the pile when all is said and done. Ex-AC Milan and Barcelona ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic has previously echoed a similar sentiment.
"For me, Ronaldo is the greatest," the Sweden legend explained. "He was as [good as] Pele. There was nobody like him. No one has influenced both football and the players who emerged as Ronaldo.
"I put up photos of Ronaldo in my room. Ronaldo was the man. Not only because of his step-overs and goals in the World Cup. Ronaldo was brilliant on every level.
"He was what I wanted to be, a guy who made a difference. Ronaldo was my hero and I studied him online and tried to take in his movements, and I thought I was getting to be an awesome player."
The debate regarding who is the greatest will never conclude. Footballing beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Mourinho has made no secret of who he feels trumps all.