Cristiano Ronaldo is an alien, claims former teammate Marcelo. The 37-year-old Brazilian, who played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid for almost a decade, said it was a ‘great privilege’ to play with the Portuguese striker.
Marcelo, who joined Real Madrid from Fluminense in 2007, said there was no other explanation for the skills of Ronaldo, who joined the Spanish giants in 2009 after a stint at Manchester United.
Ronaldo, the world’s first billionaire footballer, has scored over 960 goals for club and country, making him the highest goalscorer of all time.
He has also lifted 34 trophies, five Ballon d’Ors, and is regarded – along with Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldinho, and Ronaldo Nazario – as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine in the latest edition, out this week, Marcelo said: “It was an immense privilege to play with Cristiano.
“He is different from everybody else – a leader, a tireless worker, and a player of great quality.
“Many people think he’s only about power, but they’re wrong…he’s an extraterrestrial.”
He added: “Both of us are players shaped by the streets – we learned to play barefoot and just enjoyed ourselves.
“It’s part of our essence, so we understood each other perfectly with just a glance.
“Cristiano gave me advice from time-to-time – he was smart and understood the challenged we faced in every match.”
Ronaldo fan Richard Shand, 49, of Tring, Herts, said: “I’ve grown up watching Ronaldo play for United, then Real Madrid, then Juventus, then back to United, and he’s been the best player on the field in every game I’ve seen.
“I’m not sure it would surprise anybody really if he was found to be from outer space, he was a Galáctico when he signed for Madrid from Manchester United after all.”