Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 40th birthday by saying: ‘I’m the Best in football'

Cristiano Ronaldo has declared himself the 'Best in football'. The Portuguese great celebrates his 40th birthday today.

In an interview with Edu Aguirre on Spanish television show El Chiringuito, Ronaldo claimed that he was not only greater than his nemesis Lionel Messi but also on a higher level than the late icons Pele and Maradona.

"I’m the most complete player ever. To say that Cristiano isn’t complete is a lie," Ronaldo told Aguirre. "You may prefer Pele, Messi, Maradona, I understand and respect that," said the Portuguese superstar.

Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Monday night, he scored a brace in a 4-0 win over Al Wasl in an AFC Champions League match. The double strikes took his overall goal tally to 923.

Ronaldo thinks his incredible goalscoring record is proof of his greatness. "If I finish on 920, 925 goals… it doesn't matter to me at all. I'm the best in history. Period. If I reach 1,000 goals, great. If not, that's fine too. Numbers don’t lie."

Ronaldo is one of the greatest goalscorers in history. He has played a pivotal role in the success of every club he's ever represented, starting from Sporting CP to Manchester United to Real Madrid to Juventus and now in Saudi. Ronaldo also made a big impact on his return to Manchester before taking up the lucrative job with Al Nassr.

Ronaldo's rivalry with Messi is the biggest over the last 20 years in football. While the two modern-day greats continue their heroics at club level, Ronaldo has yet to achieve the level of immortality Messi has attained in international football.

Messi won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, while Ronaldo's Portugal never went past the quarterfinals, the biggest stage in international football. Individually, too, Messi has won eight Ballon d'Ors while Ronaldo has five. Ballon d'Or is considered the biggest annual individual honours given in football.