The forward insists he is not "obsessed" with winning the Ballon d'Or but will fight to become the sport's greatest ever player
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo says he wants to become the greatest player football has ever seen.
The 29-year-old double Ballon d'Or winner has once again been nominated for the prize for 2014 after firing Real Madrid to the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season.
Ronaldo has begun the current campaign in exceptional form and has even been compared to Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano by president Florentino Perez, most recently when he collected the Golden Shoe prize for last season on Wednesday.
And while he is adamant that winning the Ballon d'Or again is not an obsession, the former Manchester United star admits he wants to create his own legacy as football's greatest ever by the time he retires.
"I see in myself what people saw in Di Stefano and for me it is an honour because Alfredo is one of the best of all time and to be mentioned alongside him is a privilege," he told reporters.
"Obviously everybody has their own opinion but I want to be the best of all time and I will try and make that happen. Everybody has their opinion but in my head I want to be the best and I'll get there. I'm writing my own history step by step. When I retire I want to see if I'm among the best of all time and I'm certain I will be."
The 29-year-old double Ballon d'Or winner has once again been nominated for the prize for 2014 after firing Real Madrid to the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season.
Ronaldo has begun the current campaign in exceptional form and has even been compared to Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano by president Florentino Perez, most recently when he collected the Golden Shoe prize for last season on Wednesday.
And while he is adamant that winning the Ballon d'Or again is not an obsession, the former Manchester United star admits he wants to create his own legacy as football's greatest ever by the time he retires.
"I see in myself what people saw in Di Stefano and for me it is an honour because Alfredo is one of the best of all time and to be mentioned alongside him is a privilege," he told reporters.
"Obviously everybody has their own opinion but I want to be the best of all time and I will try and make that happen. Everybody has their opinion but in my head I want to be the best and I'll get there. I'm writing my own history step by step. When I retire I want to see if I'm among the best of all time and I'm certain I will be."
Player Stats — Cristiano Ronaldo
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"I am very happy that my team-mates were here with me today," he added. "It's a nice feeling that they took time out to come to a presentation of mine. I like it that the players I've played alongside like [Gareth] Bale, Sergio [Ramos] and Iker [Casillas] are here and the others would be too. If I invited them they'd come but I don't want to bother them.
"For me it's important because as I said before you can only win this trophy with a good team and players that play for each other. I am very happy to be in this team."
Ronaldo also refuted suggestions he has to do more to win individual prizes than his contemporaries following the controversy surrounding Sepp Blatter's comments on the Ballon d'Or last year.
"I don't want to get into that because the Ballon d'Or will be awarded in January and everything is going well and I'm scoring a few goals. The best place to answer is on the pitch: to those who make opinions about football and those in charge," said the Portugal forward.
"Would it surprise me not to win it? Nothing surprises me. Over the last six, seven or eight years nothing has surprised me. You have to be ready for any scenario. I am very happy and so I'm not going to a hypocrite: I'd like to win a third Ballon d'Or but I'm not obsessed with it. There is plenty of time left and I'm doing things well."
Ronaldo also says Madrid are determined to win an impressive treble this season but insists they cannot be considered the greatest team in the club's history if they fail to win trophies.
"Everybody is saying that this could be the best Real Madrid side in history but we will only be able to say at the end of the season," he said. "If we don't win anything we won't be the best side but I am hopeful that we will win things this season.
"We are happy, things are going well, the manager knows the players better and I am on a good run. I don't want to think about individual awards because that is not what I base my football on, but I want to keep enjoying the good moment.
"We are used to the two systems. Maybe [with 4-4-2] we have more of the ball and that is a good thing. The more you have the ball the more chances you can create, and we have more opportunities to score.
"This team can go far and the goal is to improve game by game and win all three trophies: the league, the Champions League and the cup."
"For me it's important because as I said before you can only win this trophy with a good team and players that play for each other. I am very happy to be in this team."
Ronaldo also refuted suggestions he has to do more to win individual prizes than his contemporaries following the controversy surrounding Sepp Blatter's comments on the Ballon d'Or last year.
"I don't want to get into that because the Ballon d'Or will be awarded in January and everything is going well and I'm scoring a few goals. The best place to answer is on the pitch: to those who make opinions about football and those in charge," said the Portugal forward.
"Would it surprise me not to win it? Nothing surprises me. Over the last six, seven or eight years nothing has surprised me. You have to be ready for any scenario. I am very happy and so I'm not going to a hypocrite: I'd like to win a third Ballon d'Or but I'm not obsessed with it. There is plenty of time left and I'm doing things well."
Ronaldo also says Madrid are determined to win an impressive treble this season but insists they cannot be considered the greatest team in the club's history if they fail to win trophies.
"Everybody is saying that this could be the best Real Madrid side in history but we will only be able to say at the end of the season," he said. "If we don't win anything we won't be the best side but I am hopeful that we will win things this season.
"We are happy, things are going well, the manager knows the players better and I am on a good run. I don't want to think about individual awards because that is not what I base my football on, but I want to keep enjoying the good moment.
"We are used to the two systems. Maybe [with 4-4-2] we have more of the ball and that is a good thing. The more you have the ball the more chances you can create, and we have more opportunities to score.
"This team can go far and the goal is to improve game by game and win all three trophies: the league, the Champions League and the cup."
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