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Rio Ferdinand: 'Cristiano Ronaldo not given respect he deserves'

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo should be respected in the same way that Lionel Messi is, according to his former teammate Rio Ferdinand.

Rio Ferdinand has insisted that former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo does not receive the "respect and adulation he deserves" when compared to fellow superstar forward Lionel Messi.

The Real Madrid ace is expected to start in Saturday evening's Champions League final at the San Siro, where he will go in search of yet more silverware.

Ronaldo and Messi have shared each of the last six Ballon d'Or awards - the most recent being taken by the Barcelona man following a stellar calendar year last time out - but Ferdinand believes that his close friend is worthy of even more plaudits.

"Everyone seems to love Messi but Cristiano doesn't really get the respect and adulation he deserves," the Englishman told The Sun. "They both deserve the highest praise.

"They have made this a golden era for football - but I don't think we appreciate it yet. You normally only get one truly world-class player in a generation but we have two. We should savour them while we can."

Ferdinand lifted the Champions League trophy with Ronaldo in 2008 when United edged out Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.

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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his second during the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Wolfsburg on April 12, 2016
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
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12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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