Ronaldo is the greatest footballer in history; No one can equal his record — Mezut Özi

Former German footballer Mezut Özil has tipped his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo as the “goat” in the history of football in the whole world.

The achievements; individual records, club records, goals and others garnered by the Portuguese icon, according to Özil, are unmatched.

He said in a tweet on Friday, December 9, that Ronaldo will continue to reign as the number football player till eternity so people must show him the needed respect.

“He is soon 38 years old - so what's the surprise that he doesn't score 50 goals a season anymore? Every football fan out there should be happy to have seen him playing world class football for 20 years.

“I don't think anyone from the new generation will be able to match his numbers again. He will forever be in his own category. Everyone should show more respect to one of the greatest athletes in sports history,” he stated.

The former Real Madrid midfielder paused to address Ronaldo’s critics, saying pundits who speak ill about the five-time FIFA World Best Player just want to elevate their dead career.

Özil stressed that the media are also setting similar agenda against his former clubmate just to get clicks to their posts.

“I really don't get where this constant negativity from the press about Cristiano comes from ... The Media is just trying to get clicks, and pundits who don't have a career anymore just want to get attention with his big name and try to make him look bad,” he said.

The footballing icon has come under huge criticism from the media, football analysts as well as many in the footballing fraternity.

They say the 2016 Euro winner is disrespectful towards club owners and coaches, a claim that heightened after Ronaldo’s recent Interview with Piers Morgan, UK-based journalist.