Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he has "no doubts" that he is among the greatest to have ever played the game.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2016, firing Madrid to the Champions League and Club World Cup titles and also helping Portugal to their first ever major trophy at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo's form has been rewarded with his fourth Ballon d'Or and the inaugural FIFA award for Best Men's Player, and he insists that both the team awards and individual recognition is a source of great pride for him.
"I have no doubt that I am already a part of football's history. This has always been my major goal, since I started playing - not only to become a player, but to be a star and to constantly strive to be the best," he told FIFA.com.
"And I did it: the trophies speak for themselves – both the titles, the individual awards, and the records. It is a source of great pride and it motivates me to keep on working the same way I have been doing so far. There's no secret. It's working strong and arduously.
"I'm playing for a team that gives me the possibility to be able to compete for these trophies. In [Portugal] also. I thought it was a sensational Euros. I'll return to saying again, it was a year of dreams. The collective performance, the individual performance, the team performance and the performance of the national team."
Ronaldo has scored 504 goals in 693 senior club appearances throughout his career, in addition to 68 goals in 136 matches for Portugal.
Barney Corkhill
