Rafa Benitez says Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world

Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez on Thursday hailed his superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo as the best in the world as he played down reports of tension between the pair.

Ronaldo, 30, went on to air his disagreement with a training ground game implemented by Benitez.

The term is a Portuguese insult used to express disappointment and was followed by Ronaldo complaining that Benitez “gives everything against the Portuguese”.

Players were put through a Crossbar Challenge-like drill by Benitez – with the former Liverpool chief insisting on every player hitting the bar before leaving training.

And while it’s far too early to say that all this presages the beginning of the end, it’s not hard to infer that Real Madrid are already moving towards a future without Ronaldo – just as Ronaldo appears to be moving towards a future away from Real Madrid.

“And I can say that he’s competitive, he likes to win, and for that reason he is the best in the world”.

“I wish all the players had the same enthusiasm to compete and win”.

We’ve been here before a few times in the last few years but Artur Petrosyan – a Russian journalist, who’s verified on twitter for what it’s worth – claims that Manchester United are “about to” re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo. Seeing Cristiano at work, you understand why he has the trophies he has.

The Spanish giants finished runners-up to Barcelona in the Primera Division, a competition they have not won since 2011-12.