When Ronaldo’s First Coach Predicted He Will Be the Greatest Portuguese Player of All Time at 16

• Former Sporting Lisbon manager Laszlo Boloni once predicted Cristiano Ronaldo's GOAT label
• Boloni is credited for giving Ronaldo his first minutes at professional level after breaking through at Sporting
• Ronaldo is currently with his national team ahead of their latest Euro 2024 qualifiers

Laszlo Boloni boldly asserted Cristiano Ronaldo's potential during the player's developmental years with Sporting Lisbon, provocatively drawing comparisons to Portuguese legends Luis Figo and Eusebio.

The Romanian manager played a pivotal role in propelling Ronaldo into the spotlight, elevating him from Sporting's youth team due to his impressive dribbling skills.

Beyond Cristiano, Boloni is acknowledged for integrating youth team talents like Ricardo Quaresma and Hugo Viana into the senior lineup.

Subsequently, the current Al-Nassr captain achieved a remarkable feat, being the first player to progress through the under-16, under-17, and under-18 teams, the B team, and finally, the first team, all within a single season, per Timeline CR7.

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On September 29, 2002, Ronaldo made his debut in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, representing Sporting CP against Braga.

Just eight days later, he secured his inaugural goal for the club against Moreirense. This marked the commencement of a remarkable career that would see Cristiano play for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus before joining Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

However, prior to attaining the status of arguably Portugal's finest footballer and, by extension, the greatest player in football history, Laszlo Boloni foresaw the 38-year-old's future.

“Once, I was asked about Cristiano, and I said he would surpass Figo and even Eusebio," the 70-year-old proudly said, as cited by The Nassr Zone.

"Comparing a young player to these two, who are considered the greatest thing in Portugal, caused me some problems. But Ronaldo immediately proved me right.”

Certainly, Laszlo's prediction about the five-time Ballon d'Or recipient proved true, as Ronaldo went on to showcase brilliance wherever he ventured.

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His journey has been marked by a multitude of individual and team accomplishments, accompanied by an impressive array of records.

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Al-Nassr coach names Ronaldo as GOAT

In a related publication, Sports Brief also previously reported on Castro unsurprisingly affirming Ronaldo's GOAT status after the star's remarkable goal against Al-Khaleej last weekend.

Taking charge of Al-Nassr in July after Rudi Garcia's departure, the coach commended his captain for making everything seem simple, lauding his fantastic goal.