Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player on the planet.
The Scotsman saw the Madrid star progress from a young Portuguese player with bags of potential to arguably the best in the world during his managerial days at Old Trafford.
Ferguson, who has not retired from management, says he respects the opinion of those who believe Lionel Messi is the best but says Ronaldo's versatility separates him from his Argentine nemesis.
"Plenty of people quite rightly say Messi, you can't dispute that opinion," Ferguson said in an interview with the BBC. "But Ronaldo, he could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers, anyone and score a hat-trick in a game - I'm not sure Messi could do it. Ronaldo has two feet, he's quick, he's brave...I think Messi's a Barcelona player."
Ferguson took Ronaldo to the English giants from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and he spent six years in Manchester, winning the Champions League and the Premier League.