Ronaldo is 'best player in history of football'

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player of all time, according to his Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.

Portugal forward Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d'Or on Friday, taking him level with Lionel Messi's record.

"The stats speak for themselves. He's the best player in the history of football," said former France player Zidane, who won the award in 1998.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is better than me by far, but I'm not bothered because I had a good career."

The former Real playmaker added: "He'll always be up here for me. Many things have been said about him, and what he does out on the field every match is phenomenal.

"The other day I said that a player could come here and stay for 15 or 20 years and he'll never do what he's done. He's made history at the club and will continue to do so and I hope he'll retire here."

Ronaldo, 32, has scored 418 goals in 412 games for Real, winning three Champions Leagues and two league titles in his first eight seasons.

Meanwhile, Real plan to take Wales forward Gareth Bale to the Fifa Club World Cup, despite his latest injury setback.

Bale, out with a calf injury, will miss Saturday's La Liga game with Sevilla but will fly to the United Arab Emirates.

Real face Al Jazira or Urawa Reds in the semi-final on Wednesday.

"He'll travel with us to the Club World Cup. We'll see if he's available for the first game," said Zidane.

Bale has only played 10 games this season for Real, managing 28 minutes since September.

Zidane also hopes defender Raphael Varane will be fit for the tournament in the UAE, despite also missing the Sevilla match through injury.

Credit: The BBC