Madrid Dec 18 (IANS) Amid fresh doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo s future at Real Madrid the Spanish football club s captain Sergio Ramos rated the Portuguese five-time Ballon d Or winner as a "legend" who deserves respect.
"Our No. 7 is a forward like we have never seen " Ramos said. "He is already a legend and will be recognised as one of the best players in the history of football. Cristiano has a very important weight in the team we all respect him " Ramos told Telefoot and was quoted by ESPNFC.
Ronaldo s goal helped Real win the the Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Gremio on Saturday.
According to another report by Marca Ronaldo s main bone of contention is moolah with both FC Barcelona s Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain s Neymar possessing bigger contracts than his current Real deal.
Further complicating matters is Ronaldo s ongoing issues with the Spanish tax authorities who still maintain that he has committed a 14.7 million euro ($17.38 million) tax fraud.
Real president Florentino Perez on Saturday refuted the rumours saying the former Manchester United star should see out his career at the club but added that the 32-year-old still has three-and-a-half years to run on a deal signed just over 12 months ago.
--IANS
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