Is Ronaldo the best Of All-Time?

On Tuesday night Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro scored a second hat-trick in two champions league games, with one being a perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header). He is undoubtedly up there with the best players to bless world football, but is he the best of all-time, the G.O.A.T?

Well, his main opposers are Pele, Lionel Messi, George Best and Diego Maradona. For me, I will always discount Maradona, he got to where he was by cheating and taking drugs, so I don’t think he can count.

Pele is, to many, the best of all time, and unsurprisingly. The Brazilian scored 1283 goals in 1363 games for club and country, won 3 world cups and a Copa America, 7 Ballons d’Or*, named as one of Time Magazine’s top 100 most influential people of the 20th century, shared the “footballer of the century” award with Diego Maradona, and is a Knight Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire. George Best is undoubtedly the best player to come from Northern Ireland or The Republic Of Ireland, scoring 248 goals in 641 appearances for club and country, an amazing record for a winger.

However, Ronaldo’s main competition right now goes by the name of Lionel Messi. Messi has scored 581 goals in 751 appearances, has won 5 Ballons d’Or (including 4 in a row), and has been included in the FifPro World XI ten years in a row. The 5 foot 7 winger also won La Liga Player Of The Year 6 times in a row and has won La Liga 8 times with Barcelona.

But, there is a player that many people will not know, who could blow these lot out of the water. Josef Bican was a Czech striker who is estimated to have scored 805 goals in 530 matches. Yes, 805 goals in 530 matches. that’s a ratio of 1.52 goals per game. Insane. He spent most of his career at Czech side Slavia Prague, where he scored 328 goals between 1937 and 1948.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s three goals on Tuesday night and three against Bayern Munich were nothing short of incredible. His first against Bayern was excellent, the way he peeled away from the defence and calmly flicked it into the bottom corner was class. The second one, I don’t even care that he was offside. The chest, the weak foot volley, the finish, the collectiveness of it, absolutely brilliant. And finally, he finished it off with a tap-in (again, I don’t care that he was offside).  A perfect hat-trick and a perfect night for CR7.

He started off against Athletico with a header too. Much more simple this time, but nonetheless the way he ghosted onto the cross was great. Then, the second. He lets the ball bounce and then swings his foot at it, and it flies past Jan Oblak into the top left. Unstoppable. Finally, for number three, he takes a touch he was possibly not expecting, controls it brilliantly and slots it home.

So, is Cristiano Ronaldo the best of all time? Is Leo Messi? Or Pele? Or maybe even Josef Bican? For me, Pele takes it. He achieved things that seemed impossible, he won 3 world cups, he won Ballons d’Or and is just an absolute legend.

However, if you disagree with me, please do leave a comment down below explaining who is the best, and why. Even if you agree with me, and have something extra to add to the subject, please also comment!

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Billy

*Ballons d’Or awards include FIFA Player Of The Year awards, FIFA Ballon d’Or awards and Ballon d’Or awards