Cristiano Ronaldo, the revered Portuguese football icon, has recently been honored with a prestigious ‘Best of All Time Player’ award within the Portuguese football community. The 40-year-old forward was celebrated for his unparalleled career achievements at an annual awards ceremony dedicated to recognizing outstanding players.
The event, organized by a professional career management body for players, took place on September 10. It served to acknowledge top performers in Portuguese football for the upcoming 2024-25 season. A significant highlight of the ceremony was Viktor Gyokeres, who recently transferred from Sporting Lisbon to Arsenal, being named the ‘Best Player of the Year’. Gyokeres earned this distinction following an exceptional previous season, where he notched an impressive 54 goals across 52 appearances.
However, the focal point of the evening was the conferment of the ‘Best of All Time Player’ title upon Cristiano Ronaldo, a figure who commands immense adoration from Portuguese supporters worldwide. Although the Al-Nassr striker was unable to attend the ceremony in person, he conveyed his heartfelt gratitude through a video message.
In his recorded message, Ronaldo expressed his appreciation, stating, “I’m thankful to all the teammates who have helped me throughout my career and contributed to me winning this great trophy. I also want to sincerely thank all of my coaches and everyone who has played a part in my long career journey, helping me to continually improve.”
Currently, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star holds the record as the world’s leading goal scorer in men’s professional football, with an astonishing 943 goals recorded from 1,286 professional matches. The 40-year-old veteran is now just 57 goals shy of reaching the remarkable milestone of 1,000 career goals.
Other notable Portuguese football personalities were also honored at the event. Former national team heroes Luis Nani and Ricardo Quaresma were recognized for their significant contributions to the sport. Additionally, talents like Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha, and João Neves received awards as part of the ‘Good Team Player’ category, acknowledging their collective efforts, particularly in helping Paris Saint-Germain secure the UEFA Champions League. Young talent Geovany Quenda, an 18-year-old playing for Chelsea, was distinguished as the ‘Young Player of the Year’.
