'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ghanaian legend Bernard Dong Bortey has claimed that his free-kick ability was superior to that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bortey claimed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was "far behind" him when it came to free-kicks.
Moving from Sporting CP to Manchester United in 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo quickly established himself under Sir Alex Ferguson. One of the most-highlighted abilities of the Portuguese were his free-kicks.
Ronaldo's 35-yard screamer against Portsmouth in the 2006/07 season remains one of the most iconic moments of his career. The Portugal captain has scored 63 free-kicks across his career, both club and international games included.
However, Bernard Dong Bortey, a renowned figure in Ghanaian football, holds a different view. In a recent interview with Pulse, Bortey downplayed Ronaldo's free-kick capabilities, suggesting that the Portuguese star's skills were not on par with other legendary free-kick takers.
Trending
"Ronaldo is far behind," said Dong Bortey. "I played during the era of Juninho and Beckham and Ronaldo was a kid back then. He wasn’t even a starter then. So compare me to the Juninhos, Ronaldinhos and Roberto Carlos. Those are the ones you should be mentioning. Ronaldo is a kid."
Bortey went on to elaborate on his point, highlighting other notable free-kick specialists. He said:
"You should’ve mentioned Ronaldinho, Beckham, Pirlo, Riquelme and one Mexico defender who played for Barcelona. You have also not mentioned Juninho from Brazil and you’re mentioning Ronaldo."
"I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level" - Cristiano Ronaldo
At the age of 39, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to dominate the Saudi Pro League, emerging as the league's top-scorer with 33 goals in 28 games this season.
Despite nearing 40, the Al-Nassr captain shows no signs of slowing down and continues to perform at an elite level. Ronaldo recently discussed his longevity and future in football on the Whoop Podcast. He said:
"I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level. It's great and it gives me motivation to carry on. If you look at my career for the last 20 years, it's unbelievable. I do that and I continue to do that. For me, it's a big achievement."
He added:
"It's not easy to be at this level. To still push, to still motivate, to carry on, and the goals, to be in good shape, to compete with the young lions that are coming and when they play against me, they want to show me that they are stronger and faster than me."
Despite his age, it has been reported by Ben Jacobs of talkSPORT that Ronaldo's current club Al-Nassr are set to offer him a contract extension, at least for one year.
