UEFA head Ceferin: “Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the top three best players of all time”

For the next four days, the Portuguese capital of Lisbon will be one of the footballing epicentres with the celebration of the 2025 Portugal Football Summit which runs through to Saturday (October 11).

Over the next four days the likes of former players such as Deco (current sporting director at FC Barcelona) , Nani, Roberto Martinez, Sol Campbell, and coaches such as Carlos Carvalhal, Jorge Jesus and Roberto Martinez will be speaking at the event at the Portuguese FA which brings together some of the biggest names in the football industry.

After opening presentations from politician Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and head of the Portuguese FA head Pedro Proença, the spotlight fell on UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

Following a turbulent week in which saw UEFA ‘regrettably’ granted permission to LaLiga and Serie A to stage games overseas, the matter of playing domestic games abroad was one of the key issues under the spotlight for the Slovenian executive.

The UEFA president conducted a one-on-one interview with local host Pedro Pinto.

Ceferin started by praising local hero Cristiano Ronaldo and added that the striker is one of the most competitive players he knows: ‘he is amazing, we would need over two hours to cover what he has achieved over his career. He is one of the best players of all time for sure, certainly in the top three’.

The conversation moved to the new Champions League and European club competitions with Ceferin stating that to make the change (towards the Swiss model league stage) was a ‘brave step’ and that by keeping the competition open with the likes of Union SG, Kairat Almaty, Bodo Glimt, Pafos etc. making their debut is important and that this is vital to keep football ‘open for all’, a clear shot at the proposed breakaway Super League adding ‘football is for everyone’.

Toughest challenge

Ceferin reflected on his time as UEFA president having to contend with many challenges such as covid, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the threat of the breakaway Super League.

The 57-year-old added: ‘there is plenty of money and ego in the football world but the most important thing is to find your way and even be ready to admit that you may have gotten things wrong’.

He focused on the challenges facing the game but preferred to focus on the positive and added that we need to be less conservative...’look at the potential that AI developments can offer, social media, new streaming possibilities’.

He concluded stating that the most important thing is to ‘know when you are wrong and look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are doing the right thing’.

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