Former Portugal Coach Insists Cristiano Ronaldo Is Not the ‘Best Player’ He’s Ever Coached

• Ex-Portugal manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, does not rate Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player he has ever coached
• The veteran manager, who has handled some of the creme de la creme in football, also hailed CR7 as 'special'
• Ronaldo is deemed by many as one of the greatest footballers of all time, alongside Lionel Messi, his long-time rival

Former Portugal manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, has refrained from labelling Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player he has ever coached, despite praising him highly.

Scolari, who led the Selecao from 2004 to 2008, introduced Ronaldo to his first major tournament by including him in the final roster for Euro 2004, where Portugal finished as runners-up to Greece.

Throughout his extensive coaching career, spanning over four decades, the 75-year-old has managed a host of top players at both club and national levels.

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These include iconic names like Ronaldo Nazario (R9), Kaka, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and John Terry.

Scolari claims Ronaldo isn't the best he's coached

In Scolari's view, Cristiano, though exceptional, cannot be singled out as the best among the illustrious players he has coached.

"When I coached him in the national team, it was clear that he had a lot of quality. We were very successful in our project, and he was an important player in that," Scolari told Arabic outlet, Winwin, via A Bola.

"I can't say that Cristiano is the best player I've ever coached because I worked with many special players who still play today."

He remained tight-lipped about who he considers to be the best he has ever coached.

However, he did commend the 39-year-old for participating in a record-breaking sixth European Championship this summer, per the BBC.

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"Of course, Cristiano belongs to this elite class. He was another of the excellent players I coached."

Ronaldo names Messi, 1 other player as GOAT

Sports Brief also previousy reported that Cristiano Ronaldo mentioned Lionel Messi and another player he considers among the greatest he's ever seen.

During the infamous interview with Piers Morgan, which contributed to his Manchester United exit, CR7 was asked about the best player he witnessed.

After carefully pondering over the question, the 39-year-old responded by naming his rival and a French icon as the greatest he saw, alongside himself.