“He knows ball”, “Streets don’t lie” – Fans react as NBA superstar Kevin Durant picks Cristiano Ronaldo as his GOAT in football
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Kevin Durant
Fans reacted as NBA superstar Kevin Durant selected Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest of all time in football. Ronaldo, 39, has been going strong for club and country for more than two decades.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the most prolific scorer in the men’s game, scoring nearly 900 goals for club and country. However, the Al-Nassr forward endured his first goalless major tournament in 11 appearances, going scoreless in five games as Portugal lost to France on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Durant, 35, is a legend in his own sport. The two-time NBA champion is the eighth-most prolific scorer in league history, with nearly 29,000 points. In an interaction on CentreGoals, Durant picked Ronaldo as his football GOAT.
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Fans reacted on his choice, with one tweeting:
“He knows ball”
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Another chimed in:
“Streets don’t lie.”
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RamsHouse commented:
“Typical W from KD”
Nabz posted:
“Pure Ball knowledge”
Sirkings Media commented:
“Everyone loves him”
Ronaldo was coming off a 44-goal season with Al-Nassr – his first full season in Saudi Arabian football – before drawing a blank at Euro 2024 – where his team fell well short of winning the title.
Nevertheless, he achieved a few milestones during the tournament. Let’s have a look:
A look at the milestones Cristiano Ronaldo achieved at Euro 2024
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to appear in six editions of the Euros when he took the field for the 2-1 group-stage win over the Czech Republic.
In the next game – a 3-0 win over Turkey – Ronaldo opted not to shoot at goal from a presentable opening. Instead, he laid the ball on a platter to his teammate Bruno Fernandes, becoming the joint assist-provider (eight) in Euros history, level with Czech legend Karol Poborsky.
Ronaldo squandered a golden opportunity to open his Euro 2024 account when he saw his extra-time spot-kick saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak. That denied him the chance to become the first player to score in six Euros and also usurp Luka Modric as the oldest scorer in the competition.
Nevertheless, he scored in the ensuing shootout to become the oldest player to score in a Euro shootout as well as score in three shootouts – across as many different editions (also 2004, 2016).
Ronaldo also scored in the 5-3 shootout defeat to France in the quarter-final on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes.