Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a sharp retort to claims made by former Sporting CP Academy prospect Fabio Paim.
Paim, in a recent podcast hosted by PT Clipes, asserted that he deserves at least one of Ronaldo’s five Ballon d’Or awards.
He further claimed that possessing even half of Ronaldo’s intelligence would place him on par with the Portuguese star and Lionel Messi in terms of career accomplishments.
The 38-year-old Al-Nassr player did not take kindly to Paim’s comments, responding with a cutting remark on the video posted on PT Clips’ Instagram page.
Ronaldo wrote: “Wtf. Who is this guy?”
Speaking on the podcast, Paim said, “Cristiano Ronaldo should offer me one of his Ballon d’Ors. I went to Sporting when I was seven years old; I grew up there. There were years of glory in which I won everything I could.
“I didn’t reach where I could have reached, but I marked a generation. If people don’t forget, it’s because I marked them.
“I said when I was happy that I thought Cristiano Ronaldo could offer me a Ballon d’Or. But it was with humility. If I had half of Cristiano’s head, it wouldn’t be him and Messi. It would be me, him and Messi, and maybe he wouldn’t have won the Ballon d’Or that he has. Maybe one of them was mine.”