Cristiano Ronaldo tells CNN Portugal he is 'the best in history'

Cristiano Ronaldo told CNN Portugal in an interview released on October 12, 2026, that he is the greatest footballer ever and said his goalscoring record is not getting proper recognition. The remarks came days after he was provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation following his departure from the national team camp amid a reported dispute with manager Jorge Jesus.

Speaking in a teaser released by CNN Portugal, Ronaldo said he felt his achievements were being overlooked and voiced frustration over public perception. "People aren’t appreciating my moments or my goals, you know?" he said. The teaser signalled the interview would address both his personal feelings and his place in football history.

In the interview Ronaldo addressed his goalscoring milestones directly, saying: "I’m 85 goals away, but I don’t think I actually like it. But I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Things have to happen naturally. Whether it’s 920 goals, 925, 930 I’m the best in history. Full stop. There’s no debate about who the best in history is. You just have to keep scoring goals. The numbers say it all," he added.

Ronaldo also discussed his approach to the future, stressing his focus on the present: "I don’t think about the long term. I’m telling you, and I swear to you on my children’s lives, I live in the moment, in the present. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I might wake up feeling unmotivated and not want to play anymore. I just don’t know," he said.

The interview reignited the longstanding debate with Lionel Messi widely cited as Ronaldo’s principal rival in the GOAT conversation, with Messi’s 2022 World Cup win noted as strengthening his claim. The piece pointed out that Ronaldo continues to add to a career goals total that has brought him close to 1,000, a statistical factor frequently invoked in comparisons between the two players.

The rivalry has resurfaced amid contrasting developments in their international careers: Messi received an emotional farewell from Argentina after ending his international career, while Ronaldo’s relationship with Portugal has been overshadowed by controversy. The article reports Ronaldo was provisionally suspended after leaving Portugal’s national team camp following a disagreement with new manager Jorge Jesus over his role in the squad.

Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway featured Ronaldo as an unused substitute, an event that prompted the Portuguese Football Federation to open disciplinary proceedings, according to the report. Those proceedings followed his departure from the squad and triggered the provisional suspension mentioned earlier.

The interview sits alongside previous high-profile media appearances in which Ronaldo publicly aired grievances, including a 2022 conversation with Piers Morgan in which he accused Manchester United of betraying him, criticised manager Erik ten Hag and questioned the club’s direction; United terminated his contract by mutual agreement shortly afterwards. The article also recalls a 2012 CNN interview in which Ronaldo said he considered himself the better player at the time and that comparisons were becoming tiresome.

The Portuguese Football Federation has provisionally suspended Ronaldo and initiated disciplinary proceedings after his departure from the national team camp, and those proceedings remain underway.