There is no doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the history of football. He wrote one of the most beautiful pages in this sport. However, one of the Portuguese striker’s former teammates said he had already been better than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, even suggesting the latter should give him one of his prestigious awards.
Fabio Paim joined Sporting’s academy at the age of nine. His promising potential as a winger in his youth even earned him £327,000 as fans and players traveled all over the country to see him. The former Portugal Under-21 international was later joined by Cristiano Ronaldo at the academy, and the two formed a great relationship on and off the pitch. When the latter joined Manchester United in 2003, he made a famous statement according to SPORTbible: “If you think I’m good, wait until you see Fabio Paim”.
However, despite having the world at his feet and allegedly being more talented than Ronaldo at the time, Paim failed to make the most of his professional career. The now 35-year-old had the opportunity to represent Chelsea on loan in 2008, but failed to make a single appearance. Since then he has played for a host of smaller clubs, but has also failed to settle anywhere and has been without a club since the 2017-18 season.
Furthermore, in an interview with The SunPaim discussed his past with Cristiano Ronaldo: “I was really special. I have to be humble but it’s the truth. Unfortunately, back then there was no Instagram or Facebook, nothing was recorded like today, but I firmly and honestly believe that until today there was no one else like me with the same quality that I had. Cristiano, for all his efforts and hard work, has reached the level he deserves. But when I was playing, if I had had the same effort and commitment, I would have been better than him. If I talk about technique, I was better. I was a little Ronaldinho. But as we can see, it’s not technology that gets us anywhere. But yes, at the time, I was better than Cristiano. I think he should give me one of his Ballons d’Or! (Laughs)”did he declare.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s mindset, work ethic and dedication to the sport have allowed him to continue playing at the highest level at the age of 38, proving that it takes much more than talent raw to succeed. The current Al Nassr striker has won five Ballons d’Or, the second most titles in history, just behind Lionel Messi.
2023-10-20 11:43:18
#Cristiano #Ronaldo #give #Ballons #dOr
