Former Manchester United centre-back Gerard Pique has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo became a striker later in his career after realizing he could be more impactful in that position. Pique also credited Ronaldo for becoming the best striker in the world and a complete superstar, despite initially being a winger at Manchester United.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in 2003, initially plying his trade as a winger under Sir Alex Ferguson’s tutelage. The Portugal international’s talent was evident at a young age as he combined pace and creativity to beat defenders down the wing with ease.
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However, towards the end of his stint with Manchester United, Ronaldo transitioned into a world-class striker, helping his side win nine trophies, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League. He was also crowned the 2008 Ballon d’Or winner.
During an interview on the YouTube channel, The Late Run, Pique revealed why Ronaldo switched roles. The Spaniard, who played alongside the latter between 2004 and 2008, stated:
“Cristiano was different, he was very strong despite his young age, he was very skillful at the time, playing as a winger not a striker, but as his career went on he understood where he could be more impactful on the game. And that was playing as a striker and scoring many goals for the team. He played as a winger at United but then he came the best striker in the world because he was very complete and could score from any situation”
After joining Real Madrid in 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as arguably the greatest player of all time. The 41-year-old is currently the highest goalscorer in football history and could be the first-ever star to reach 1000 career goals. He has registered 965 goals in 1312 appearances across all competitions for club and country.
“If anyone is in a position to talk like that, it’s him” – When Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand explained why he believes Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘disrespected on a regular basis’
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand recently expressed his belief that Cristiano Ronaldo is disrespected regularly due to his self-belief in being the GOAT over legends like Lionel Messi and Pelé. Ferdinand also used Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an example to showcase how other superstars are praised for making similar statements.
After dominating the GOAT debate for over a decade and winning five Ballons d’Or, Ronaldo has named himself the most complete player in football history on several occasions. However, he has been heavily criticized by many for these statements.
In February earlier this year, Ferdinand stated (via GOAL):
“Everyone champions Zlatan for saying stuff like that and goes, ‘oh what a guy, I love his personality and character’. When Cristiano says it, they’re like, ‘oh he’s so arrogant. How could he say that?’”
He added:
“If anyone is in a position to talk like that, it’s him. You know what’s crazy, he’s been top scorer of his team for the last 18 years. Since 2007 probably, he’s been top scorer for every team he played in. Just let that sink in. It’s unbelievable. Ronaldo is disrespected on a regular basis.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong at Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and is expected to represent Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
Edited by Silas Sud
