Jose Mourinho Explains In Detail Why “Ronaldo” Is The GOAT

Jose Mourinho has picked former Brazil striker Ronaldo Nazario in the question of who is the ‘GOAT’ snubbing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The question of who is the greatest footballer of all time often crops up and too many, the answer is either Ronaldo or Messi – but not for Mourinho.

Mourinho was asked by LiveScore who the best player ever was and revealed it was Ronaldo Nazario, who he worked with at Barcelona.

He said: “Ronaldo, El Fenomeno, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers, they have remained at the top every day for 15 years.

“However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo [Nazario].

“When he was at Barcelona with Bobby Robson, I realised that he was the best player I’d ever seen take to the field.

“Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible.”

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Ronaldo only played one season for Barcelona in 1996/97, having previously played two years for PSV, and scored an incredible 34 goals in 37 games.

Having broken the world record fee, with a transfer fee of £13.2 million, Barca sold him a year later when contract negotiations broke down for another world record fee of £19.5 million to Inter.

By 1997 and the age of just 21 the Brazilian had won the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice and would go on to win it a third time in 2002.

Ronaldo won the Golden Ball at the 1998 World Cup but the mystery surrounding his near absence at the final, when he was out of the team and then back in, stole all the headlines as Brazil lost to hosts France.

He then missed a big part of three seasons with several knee injuries for Inter which were the start of the issues that meant he never quite lived up to the potential he had, despite still having an incredible career.

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The Brazilian went on to score 352 goals in 518 appearances in all competitions in his club career and without injuries, it could have been even better.

Of course Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have since taken the game to a whole new level with their goal records but ‘El Fenomeno’ is still one of the best of all time, certainly, Mourinho thinks so.

Things you should know about Ronaldo Nazario

Ronaldo Nazario is a retired Brazilian professional footballer who is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.

He played as a forward for clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan, and was a key member of the Brazilian national team that won the 2002 World Cup.

He is known for his pace, skill, and goalscoring ability, and is considered one of the greatest forwards in the history of the sport.

In addition to his many accolades on the field, Ronaldo has also had a successful career as a businessman and philanthropist.