Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after he became the leading men’s scorer in the Euro’s history.
Ronaldo, 36, also became the first player in history to feature in five different European Championships following Portugal’s 3-0 victory over Hungary on Tuesday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
The Juventus forward netted his 10th goal in his fifth appearance at the tournament after scoring a brace for Portugal against Hungary.
The former Real Madrid star also overtook France legend Michel Platini’s goal record in the Championship’s history.
Reacting, Neville, who played alongside Ronaldo for eight years at Man United, said it was ‘mesmerising’ to see how his former teammate has developed over the best part of two decades, adding that he’s one of the greatest of all time.
“He (Ronaldo) was a huge frustration in those early years – he was very young, an 18-year-old getting used to the Premier League,” Neville told ITV Football.
“He was inconsistent, made poor, incorrect decisions on the pitch. But just a few years later – post-2006 and the incident with Wayne Rooney and the England quarter-final – he just matured into something exceptional.
“It’s mesmerising really to see how he’s developed from that into one of the greatest players of all time. It’s that individual pursuit of being the greatest of all time that he’s chasing.
“I don’t see him giving in for a few years because I think he wants to remove all doubt that he’s one of the greatest of all time.
“He wants the team to win, always, but he is a unique player that in interviews he mentions the individual accolades as well, they’re really important to him.”
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