Cristiano Ronaldo: The Moments That Made Them 

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2:17Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football with Alan Shearer, Michael Richards and me, Gary Lineker. We're doing another episode of Premier League Greats, the moments that made them. And this guy's tenure in the Premier League probably made his career because most of it has been spent elsewhere. Came to Manchester United from Portugal when he was, I think, 18 years old. I think it's safe to say he's made a bit of a name for himself. You know, one of the greatest players of all time. um cristiano ronaldo i mean i don't think any of us really saw that when he first arrived but you would you played against yeah christian you must have done i think four times four times one one of them yeah uh yeah i think that was the remember the air munich disaster remembrance and we changed we went to the old school kits oh yes that's the game we played we won that game so but I mean what can he say about it well what has not been said a million times it's just I don't think he gets enough respect for how skillful he was and obviously he was dynamic he was sharp and all that but when he faced you up it could go both ways very quickly so he'd always put you on the back foot and I know he became a goal scorer in the end but before that especially when he was at Man United up against him he loved to step over didn't he His skill, it was just outrageous.

3:51Definitely one of the hardest I've played against. But it was a derby, so I don't know. I feel like he didn't get as much time to do what he normally want to do because everyone was just smashing him. But he was next level.

4:05Alan Shearer:They had that story, didn't they? They signed him because of his performance in a pre-season friendly, wasn't it? And I think they said, we need this lad. We need these bits special.

4:14Gary Lineker:I think when he first came, there was a lot of maybe flicks and tricks rather than being that sort of killer instinct. You know, as you say, when he lined people up, he perhaps went one way, went another way, came back and thinking, but then he sort of made himself into this killer. There he goes.

4:37Alan Shearer:I mean, so much skill.

4:40Gary Lineker:Yeah. he's made himself into possibly the greatest goal scorer ever with his numbers I know there's the talk about Pele and over a thousand and all of that but he's not far away from that now but this is what I mean about the tricks and the flicks and the step overs and what have you but for when he went in a more centre forward position I guess his numbers are just ridiculous

5:04Alan Shearer:I mean he very much started as a winger I remember doing a lot of match of the day and you get Alan Hanson, maybe Mark Lawrenson back in those days and they used to be quite almost saying that, wow, he's got loads of talent, but he's just got it. He's got to cross it. He's overdoing it. He's overdoing the stand. That was quite a common criticism back then. And I think he probably learnt from it as well because he did gradually take that out of his game. I mean, he still couldn't do a step over, obviously, but in terms of like you'd do six or seven and he cut down. Don't forget he was still young then.

5:41Alan Shearer:He was a kid. He was 18 when he joined. He was a kid. So he was still learning the game, but he was still... You see them clips there, how quick he moves his feet. What are you supposed to do there, the defender? He can't. He's just... He's mesmerising at times.

5:55Gary Lineker:Even in the air, though.

5:56Alan Shearer:I think he's one of the best I've ever seen in the air. Unbelievable. I mean, his leap and his technique of heading it is really absolutely incredible. but he's also incredibly quick.

6:10Gary Lineker:Well, the technique of heading it, the technique of also striking the ball because the way, certainly on some free kicks we see, is that the top of the ball and the dip and everything else. He's a brilliant striker of a ball as well.

6:22Alan Shearer:He scored a hat-trick, didn't he? He's our friends Newcastle again now.

6:29Gary Lineker:It's Cristiano Ronaldo! And that is 20 goals for the season.

6:36Alan Shearer:Oh, wow. Wow. And I think this kind of really launched people's belief in how good this could be. Oh. Chopped. The little chop. The hairdo as well. You like the hairdo? Yeah, it was cool. Can we have a look at the hairdo? Yeah, he had that. This is the important thing. No other podcast goes into this detail. Look at the hairdo. He's been to see your guy and he's got that like kind of trim. He's been to shape up. Yeah. Yeah, that's him. Yeah. I mean, that was a hat trick there. And then he was kind of one of the first people, if not the first, to do the sort of knuckleball, whatever they call it, free kick, where they line the, was it the adapter they line up or something?

7:22Alan Shearer:The little hole where you put the, blow it up. And here it is. Every now and again, one just flies in the top corner.

7:30Gary Lineker:Like that. And that was one of them. Unbelievable. Unbelievable! I think this is one of the best goals I've ever seen in the Premier League. I don't know how he's done that. Because when he leaves his foot, okay, we know about the bend and all that sort of thing, but the pace, it goes. Look. Oh my God. You have three keepers in there, they're not stopping that. Look at that, they go. He scored last week, wasn't it? Unbelievable. Look at that. How did he get it up and down? Oh, my. The spin, the dip, the bend. That's an amazing free kick.

8:10Alan Shearer:It's funny, isn't it? Because he was doing some incredible long free kicks and we saw one in the Champions League as well. And then in recent years, it's like he can't... He scored the one, didn't he, when he got hatched against Spain? Yeah, yeah. But aside from that, he's taking thousands of thousands. Can't seem to get close anymore. but he's so motivated though isn't he he is unbelievably driven

8:34Gary Lineker:I think clearly it's helped him and Messi that rivalry over the years to go together because he's one of the better him and vice versa in part of you but his attitude and his appetite to go again I mean he's just doing it because he loves football he's an incredibly wealthy guy but to still get up and want to do it

8:56Alan Shearer:I mean his attitude is incredible isn't it I mean, he's absolutely driven to play, to win, to score goals, score more goals, and then score more goals after that. I mean, and that rivalry has been between those two, and it is a rivalry over so long. It's given us, I think, certainly for me as someone who's broadcast football forever, so much pleasure watching two players. It's just different, obviously, different footballers. Two, definitely, I think, two of the greatest goal scorers of all time and two of the greatest footballers of all time. Everyone knows that, you know, and most footballers do rate Messi.

9:39Alan Shearer:Overall, as a footballer, it's slightly ahead. But Cristiano is definitely in the top people of all time. I mean, some of the goals he's scored. When he was analysing on Match of the Day back then, Did you know he was going to go to Madrid and do what he was going to do? I don't think anyone was. No, I don't think. Not those numbers. It wasn't like one of these young, like Messi. It wasn't like a player that's come on from a tiny kid and beats everybody and does all these amazing things. Even like Laminya Malnau is doing and stuff. But it was just more of a rise to this supreme goal scorer that we ended up with.

10:16Gary Lineker:I like his celebration.

10:18Alan Shearer:Yeah, what about the Sioux?

10:19Gary Lineker:Do you like that one? Yeah, we like the Sioux. Oh, that's all right, is it? Yeah, because he gets the crowd involved. And he waits, doesn't he? He does that now, doesn't he? T-T-T-Suu. It's classy. Look at his body, mate. Oh, yeah. He's in good nick. You'd take your top off more often if you had a body like that. Oh, I'm getting there.

10:36Alan Shearer:I'm getting there. Don't you worry, mate. Slim Meeks has arrived. You're looking good, actually. Mm-hmm. May I say.

10:42Gary Lineker:Just not quite that good. It's just... Movement. Head. See you later. Rooney. Rooney with the assist. Rooney with the assist. That's some combination. Rooney and Ronaldo. Then we've got Berbatov too.

10:55Alan Shearer:Berbatov wasn't bad either. Tevez was playing as well at that point. It's not fair, is it? Yeah. Fair. No. I think in answer to your question, I think when he was at Manchester United, he left for Real Madrid, the last two seasons, you started to really see what we were about to get. And so I think the answer is probably yes. We did start to see something. If you'd have said that in his first couple of seasons, you'd have gone, no, we see a kid with an amazing ability and he's learning his way. But then the last two seasons, he scored a phenomenal amount of goals in the Premier League. I think he's the greatest player to ever play in the Premier League.

11:34Alan Shearer:I mean, but I think that's quite easily proven because of what he's gone on. the reason he doesn't get mentioned as the top Premier League player ever is because he wasn't here that long which is he moved on so he didn't have the greatest impact but if you say who is the best footballer ever to have played in the Premier League it has to be Cristiano Ronaldo agreed it has to be I think you disagreed on that before didn't you? I think we had a back and forth

12:05Gary Lineker:no I think in the Premier League when he was here in the Premier League that's the difference that's what you said

12:11Alan Shearer:And all the players that have actually played. I mean, it's like if Messi came over now and played half a season at Leicester, which I hear is on the guard. Although Leicester have been in League One, so I think it's unlikely. If he came over and played for Manchester City for a season or two, you'd have that. Well, he's the best player that's ever played in the Premier League. Because if you understand what I'm saying. But he's gone on to absolute greatness in what he did at Real Madrid. And Juve as well. And Juve, but mainly, I think he's absolute prime. Yeah, but when he was in Italy, it was the heart of defending.

12:48He was up against some difficult teams. Good point.

12:51Gary Lineker:Was that header? Yes, it leaped. It's about 16 feet. That leap, yeah. Goodness, mate. He scored one from Real Madrid as well, like that. But they didn't have the greatest teams in Italy at the time. But defensively, it's not the same now, Serie A. No. But when he was playing, it was very difficult. So to score that many goals, yeah, he could adapt to anywhere.

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14:03Alan Shearer:Goal a game, over 400 games, over 400 goals.

14:07Gary Lineker:That is him and Messi. Because back in the day when we started, one and two was a great record.

14:12Alan Shearer:Yeah.