'Really insane' - Brazilian Ronaldo told he had more 'quality' than Cristiano as ex-Real Madrid star calls for 'respect' for R9 for his incredible achievements

Julio Baptista has reignited the debate over football’s greatest talents by declaring that Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario had more “quality” than Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Real Madrid star described R9's on-field impact as “really insane” and urged fans to show greater respect for the iconic striker’s extraordinary achievements.

In an interview conducted by footitalia.com, Baptista was asked: "Is Cristiano Ronaldo or Brazilian Ronaldo the better striker?"

Baptista replied: "Both players have been special at different times of their careers. Of course, in terms of longevity, you can’t argue with Cristiano, but in terms of quality, and from what I saw from the Brazilian Ronaldo before his injury - I never saw a player who did what Ronaldo did in the past. What he was doing deserves incredible respect, it was really insane. I must give it to my countryman."

Both played have enjoyed illustrious careers. While the Brazilian Ronaldo was part of two World Cup-winning squads and won two Ballon d'Or awards, the Portuguese won five Champions Leagues, a European Championship with his country, as well as five Ballons d'Or. Both legendary forwards represented Real Madrid and lit up Serie A, although Cristiano is still going strong at the age of 40 as he dreams of breaching the 1000-goal landmark.

Back in February, O Fenomeno was not impressed with Ronaldo's GOAT claims, stating that better players than the Portuguese icon have graced the pitch.

He told ESPN: "I don't really like to get into this, I think people have too much self-esteem. I prefer people to talk about what I did and who I was rather than talking about myself. Cristiano Ronaldo has a fantastic story, he won everything, scored goals in every possible way. He is definitely among the best in history. Now, I don't agree with the best. But I respect his opinion... I would say he is easily in the top 10.

"Pele number 1 without a doubt, [Lionel] Messi and [Diego] Maradona tied together, Zico, Romario, Cristiano Ronaldo, [Marco] Van Basten, [Zinedine] Zidane, [Luis] Figo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, a series of players, there are many great players on this list, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Every time someone asks me about this ranking, I make a different list. Only these first three are definitive."