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Rafa Benitez has named Cristiano Ronaldo “the best in the world”, a week after he refused to dole out the title for the Ballon D’Or winner.
The forward has scored 313 goals in 300 games for Madrid since leaving Manchester United in 2009, overtaking Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d’Or in 2013 and 2014. Ronaldo also fired his side to the much awaited decimal, hitting the net 17 times in the competition.
However when the new manager Benitez was asked last week if Ronaldo was ahead of Lionel Messi and could be considered the greatest current footballer he rather surprisingly said: “To say that he is one of the best in the world I believe is sufficient.
“Ronaldo, Bale, all of them – they are so good. For me it's not a problem. James (Rodriguez), Isco, (Karim) Benzema, Ronaldo or Bale, we have an option with all of them.”
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However with Ronaldo having earned a reputation for his will to win and to earn accolade Benitez was asked again today if his star player had been angry about those remarks.
The manager then changed his tune, admitting he was “the best in the world”. He added: “From watching him work in the flesh for a week, you can see how competitive he is, how much he likes to win and the quality he has.”
“I wish everyone had the same drive to compete and win. For him, being competitive is a virtue, not a defect.”
As to what had led to Benitez changing his mind the manager said: "In the first place, and above all, because I always try to boost my players. And secondly, because when watching him work up-close, you realise why he has won so many trophies and titles.”
