Cristiano Ronaldo is an alien! Ex-Real Madrid team-mate explains why Portuguese GOAT is 'extraterrestrial'

Ronaldo burst onto the scene as a fleet-footed winger, with his dancing feet catching the eye of Premier League giants Manchester United. He won the first of five Champions League crowns and a handful of Ballons d’Or while at Old Trafford.

The Portugal international went on to become Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer and a Golden Boot winner with Juventus and Al-Nassr. As talismanic captain of his country, a European Championship and two UEFA Nations League crowns have been captured.

Ronaldo is preparing to grace the sixth World Cup finals of his remarkable career this summer, as questions are asked of his future at club level, with there no sign of the evergreen 41-year-old showing down - despite nursing an injury at present.

In a bid to reach 1,000 competitive career goals, Ronaldo has surged beyond 960. He has 34 trophies to his name in total and a standing among the all-time greats has been safely secured for some time.

Marcelo was among those to be left in awe of Ronaldo during their time together in the Spanish capital, with the South American telling FourFourTwo of what makes CR7 special: “It was an immense privilege to play with Cristiano. He is different from everybody else - a leader, a tireless worker, and a player of great quality. Many people think he’s only about power, but they’re wrong…he’s an extraterrestrial.”

He added: “Both of us are players shaped by the streets - we learned to play barefoot and just enjoyed ourselves. It’s part of our essence, so we understood each other perfectly with just a glance. Cristiano gave me advice from time-to-time - he was smart and understood the challenges we faced in every match.”

One those challenges was facing Lionel Messi on a regular basis, as Real Madrid locked horns with Clasico foes Barcelona. On that test, Marcelo said: “Saying that it was difficult would be an understatement. At times, facing Messi was a nightmare…”

Real did, however, possess plenty of quality themselves - alongside Ronaldo - and remained competitive throughout an era that saw Pep Guardiola sprinkle his brand of coaching magic dust over Camp Nou.

The Blancos drafted in enigmatic managers of their own, with Jose Mourinho among those to pass through the Bernabeu. Marcelo enjoyed working with the former Chelsea and Inter coach as he helped to crank up intensity levels.

Marcelo said of the ‘Special One’: “We did everything we could to counter that Barça side, which for many was the best in history. Mourinho was a born winner – he pushed us, he took us to the limit. 

“Real had gone too long without winning and a club of that magnitude couldn’t allow that to happen. We went into every Clasico with the conviction of competing with great personality, and from there the sparks emerged.”

Mourinho left Madrid in 2013, with Ronaldo spending five more years in Spain before heading to Juventus. He is currently tied to a contract at Al-Nassr through to the summer of 2027, but has been airing his frustration in the Middle East and is said to have release clauses in his lucrative deal that can be triggered in the next transfer window.