Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, with many pointing to his individual accolades, goal-scoring records and team success as evidence of his claim to being the best ever. However, Capello believes the Portuguese forward falls short of the “genius” quality possessed by the other three icons.
Speaking on Egyptian channel ON Sport’s Hat-trick programme, the retired Italian tactician drew a distinction between Ronaldo’s physical and athletic excellence and what he described as the innate brilliance of Messi, Maradona and the Brazilian Ronaldo.
“Cristiano is a top goal-scorer and a fantastic athlete, but he doesn’t have the special talent of Messi, Maradona, or Ronaldo Nazario,” Capello said, as quoted by Kooora.com.
“The cleverness that the others had is missing in Cristiano. He can’t be compared to those three.”
Capello, who retired from coaching in 2018 after a decorated managerial career, worked with Ronaldo Nazario during his time at Real Madrid. He also once revealed that he attempted to sign an 18-year-old Messi for Juventus after being impressed by the Argentine’s brief appearance in a friendly match against the Italian side.
Ronaldo, for his part, has consistently maintained in interviews that he considers himself the greatest footballer in history. Now 41, the Portugal captain continues to chase milestones and is reportedly 39 goals away from becoming the first player to reach 1,000 official career goals — a landmark that would further cement his legacy in the sport.
Capello’s remarks are the latest contribution to a debate that continues to divide fans and pundits across generations.