In this current era, we have been able to watch players like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo shining on the biggest stage.
But at one time, Brazilian great Ronaldo was scoring at a rate not too dissimilar to what Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo have been in his peak years with PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Rory Smith of The Times joined Off The Ball tonight to reflect on Barcelona's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, but he also chatted about a recent piece he wrote about the legacy of a player who won the golden boot as he fired Brazil to the 2002 World Cup trophy.
As he explained a few factors have contributed to the Ronaldo name being downgraded a little bit when we judge the all-time greats, despite the fact that many current stars look to him as an idol.
"Zlatan insists that Ronaldo was his inspiration. Zlatan's 34. There's players of all ages, 10-15 years between them who look to Ronaldo as their great influence," he said.
"What Rondon and Lukaku both said was that he kind of changed what centre-forwards were thought of as being. I think for a lot of people, when you think of Ronaldo, you think of those great seasons at Barca, Inter and the 2002 World Cup and you think of great performances at Real Madrid. Old Trafford is the most famous I think.
"I think he's been written off, partly because of the weight thing, partly because of the compromising situation with the prostitutes thing and partly because of the other Ronaldo coming through and taking his name."
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