Cristiano Ronaldo is not only one of the biggest names in world football, but also one of the most polarising ones.
The 38-year-old has dominated the sport for two decades, having burst onto the scene as a teenage prospect at Sporting before joining Manchester United and becoming a household name under Sir Alex Ferguson. After helping United win the Premier League three times and the Champions League, he made a then world record move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo won four more Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles in Madrid, before leaving in 2018 to join Serie A giants Juventus. There he became teammates with Paulo Dybala, who revealed he once told Ronaldo he was "hated" in Argentina - a fact Ronaldo quickly laughed off.
Recalling the interaction, Dybala told the Argentine national team website: "On a personal level, I was surprised for good because I did not know him, none of us knew anything about him.
"Even in the previous Champions League we were knocked out against Real Madrid and there had been many crosses. But then we found something else, he is an excellent guy, very sociable and friendly inside and outside the locker room.
"Always ready to talk, to listen, that surprised me, being an important figure, they are not always like that. Once I sat down to talk to him, we were travelling.
"I said 'look, if I'm honest, we in Argentina hate you a bit, because of your personality, your way of being, then you really surprised me because I found something else'. He laughed because he said 'I know that's the way it is, but I know how I am, I'm used to being criticised for that'."
Ronaldo and Dybala spent three years as teammates at Juventus, but now ply their trade elsewhere. Ronaldo left Juventus in 2021 to rejoin United, but what was supposed to be a fairytale homecoming quickly turned sour.
He clashed with manager Erik ten Hag and had his contract terminated after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner now plays in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Nassr, while Dybala left Juventus in 2022 to join Roma on a free transfer.
Speaking about the Saudi league recently, Ronaldo had only good things to say and tipped it to be one of the greatest in world football in the years to come. "The league is very good, but I think we have many, many opportunities to keep growing," he said.
"The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players. But they need to improve the infrastructure a little bit more. Even the referees, the VAR system... they should be a little bit faster.
"I think there are other little things they need to improve. But I'm happy here, I want to stay here, I will stay here. In my opinion, if they continue to do the job they want to do here for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be one of the top five leagues in the world."
