Is Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo confident or arrogant?

There are two types of people in the world. Those who find Cristiano Ronaldo's self-belief inspiring, and those who find it insufferable.

Ronaldo has never been subtle about his opinion of himself. Collecting his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017, he told France Football magazine "I am the best player in history.”

Then, in a 2025 interview with Spanish television channel, at the age of 40, he claimed "I'm the best player in football history. I haven't seen anyone better than me in football history, and I'm saying the truth from my heart."

Most people would be embarrassed to say that once. Ronaldo has said it across multiple decades.

And the frustrating thing for his critics is that, for most of his career, he has proved himself right.

Five Ballon d'Or awards. Champions League titles with two different clubs. The all-time record for international goals. When Ronaldo called himself the best, he usually went out the following weekend and reminded everyone why.

In the same 2017 France Football interview, he said, "No other footballer does things that I am not capable of doing myself.”

That might seem arrogant, sure, but inaccurate? That's harder to argue.

The criticism, though, is also fair.

The game of football has produced gems such as Messi, Pele, Maradona, Zidane etc. Calling yourself the greatest in that company is a bold claim, and plenty of people disagree.

Javier Mascherano, Messi's long-time teammate, was asked about Ronaldo's latest claim and responded simply, "I have a lot of respect for Cristiano and I do not have the need to analyse his opinions. It's what he thinks. I have my own thoughts and it isn't that."

But here's what Ronaldo's critics consistently miss. That same self-obsession goes hand in hand with the type of player he is.

His fitness at 41 is borderline absurd. The relentless gym sessions, the diet, the sleep routines, none of that can come from a man who doesn’t believe in himself. It can come from someone who genuinely cannot accept being second.

Now, Ronaldo at 41, is at his last World Cup. Portugal have arguably their most complete squad in a generation around him. Younger, faster players now carry much of the attacking weight. And yet, nobody is writing him off entirely.

If Portugal goes deep in this tournament, and Ronaldo manages to do what he has done all his life, every quote about being the greatest will be shared a million times again.

He spent his whole career saying he was the best, and kept performing on the pitch trying to prove it. To some, he didn’t, but to millions of his fans spread throughout continents, he unequivocally did.