“Mo played a fantastic season but Cristiano has played 15 seasons like this. He has scored something like 47,000.”
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) (Photo: AFP)
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah may be the one making waves this season, but according to his manager, Jurgen Klopp, Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s been doing this for such a long time that any comparisons between the two are extremely premature.
“They all have qualities. It’s not about having the better individual, usually it’s about playing the better football. For that to happen, you need all the others as well,” Klopp was quoted as saying by the club website.
“Mo (Salah) played a fantastic season but Cristiano has played 15 seasons like this. He has scored something like 47,000 goals – crazy numbers.”
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The 2018 UEFA Champions League final sees 12-time champions current holders Real Madrid take on Liverpool in Kiev and many have billed the clash as a straight duel between the two prolific players.
“Why should we compare? At the time of Pele nobody compared Pele to other players and asked, ‘Is he as good as him?’
In terms of goals, the two are neck-and-neck as they both have found the back of the net 43 times this season (all competitions).
“Now we have (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo. They have dominated football for a few years and there are so many other good players,” the Liverpool boss added as he left no doubt as to who he considered the finest players on the planet.
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Salah has outscored the Portuguese in the domestic league (32-26), but Ronaldo has put the Liverpool winger in the shade in the Champions League with 15 strikes, with the Egyptian having scored ‘just’ 10 times in Europe.
“Messi and Ronaldo are in the final moment very often in the right position to score a goal and that’s the most difficult thing to do in the world. That’s why they are where they are.
Liverpool, five time winners of the continental competition, take on Real in the Champions League final on May 26.
“The Ballon d’Or is always between them. It’s well deserved. When they stop playing football we will miss them, 100 per cent,” Klopp added.
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