Cristiano Ronaldo's greatest-ever claim and the problem with saying it out loud

Cristiano Ronaldo has never been one to shy away from a debate about his place in football history, but an old interview has brought that confidence back into the spotlight.

A clip uploaded by CNN Portugal on Monday, October 12, went viral before being taken down, reigniting discussion around the Portugal captain's declaration that he is the greatest footballer of all time, days after his suspension from the national team.

Ronaldo's comments were not new, but their resurfacing has reignited the debate over his place in football history. While his supporters point to his extraordinary goalscoring record, others argue that greatness goes beyond numbers, raising a broader question about whether the best athletes should declare themselves the best or leave that judgement to others.

"I'm the best in history. Full stop. There's no debate about who the best in history is. You just have to keep scoring goals. The numbers say it all," Ronaldo said in the interview. His conviction is hardly surprising, given how often he has made the case for his own legacy, even as Lionel Messi's achievements, particularly Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph and his eight Ballon d'Or awards, continue to fuel the debate.

But the impulse behind Ronaldo's declaration stretches well beyond football. Sporting history is full of champions who have refused to let others decide how they should be remembered. Some have used bravado to unsettle opponents, others to build a public persona, and a few have made self-belief so much a part of their identity that it has become inseparable from their achievements.

Few have made that confidence as memorable as Muhammad Ali.

MUHAMMAD ALI MADE IT HIS TRADEMARK

Before athletes could turn a soundbite into a viral moment, Muhammad Ali knew the value of a line that people would remember.

"I am the greatest!" was more than a catchphrase for Ali.

The boxing legend used it to announce himself before stepping into the ring, turning self-belief into showmanship long before sporting stars had social media to broadcast their every thought. He even declared, "I'm not the greatest, I'm the double greatest."

Ali had the achievements to give those words weight. A three-time world heavyweight champion, he became one of sport's most recognisable figures, with his confidence and verbal sparring as much a part of his legacy as his victories in the ring.

For Ali, declaring himself the best was part of the performance, and honestly, the performance was legendary.

ZLATAN NEVER NEEDED THE BALLON D'OR

Football has its own tradition of players who have little interest in waiting for a committee to validate their greatness. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of its most entertaining practitioners.

In 2013, the Swedish striker said, "I don't need the Ballon d'Or to know I'm the best." He made the remark at a time when Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery were the leading contenders for the award, while Ibrahimovic had just helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Ligue 1 title.

This was hardly uncharacteristic of Ibrahimovic. His interviews were often marked by the same swagger that accompanied his spectacular goals, whether he was playing in Italy, Spain, France or England. He won 10 league titles across four countries during his club career, scored 62 goals in 122 appearances for Sweden and finished as the country's all-time leading scorer.

The Ballon d'Or or the UEFA Champions League title never came, but Ibrahimovic was never short of confidence in his own standing.

LEBRON JAMES MAKES HIS CASE

LeBron James has been just as forthright about where he places himself in basketball history. In 2023, as he closed in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA career scoring record, James told the Orange County Register, "I feel like I'm the best basketball player that ever played the game."

It was not a claim made without a record to back it up. By the time he passed Abdul-Jabbar in February 2023, James had already won four NBA championships and four regular-season MVP awards. He has since added another milestone to an extraordinary career, becoming the first player in NBA history to surpass 50,000 combined regular-season and playoff points in March 2025.

The numbers have strengthened his case, even if the debate over basketball's greatest player remains unresolved. James, at least, has never been shy about making his own position clear.

USAIN BOLT PUT HIMSELF AMONG THE GREATS

Usain Bolt has always been clear about where he saw himself in sporting history. In a 2016 interview with TIME, the Jamaican sprinter was asked to pick four athletes for his all-time Mount Rushmore. His choices were Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Pele and himself.

"I've accomplished something that no one has ever done before," Bolt said, explaining his inclusion.

Bolt's confidence was rooted in what he had achieved on the track. His record included eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship titles. He also holds the men's 100m and 200m world records, set at 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds respectively at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

He may have left the wider debate about sporting greatness open, but there was little hesitation in his belief that he belonged alongside the names who had defined it.

WHO GETS TO CLAIM GREATNESS?

Perhaps the debate is not just about whether Ronaldo has a case to be called the greatest, but also about how he chooses to make that case. His goals, records and longevity have long been weighed against Messi's achievements. Yet whenever Ronaldo declares himself the best, the conversation often shifts from his record to whether he should be making the claim himself.

Ali did it, Ibrahimovic did it, and Bolt had no hesitation about placing himself alongside sporting icons. Each had their own way of expressing confidence in their achievements. Ronaldo's declaration raises a similar question about where self-belief ends and arrogance begins.

Whether he is the greatest will remain open to debate, but so will the question of whether athletes should leave that judgement to others.