Cristiano Ronaldo has aged fine, like wine. The Portuguese superstar, 38, self admittedly claimed that he has the biological composition of a 23-year-old. In a list that includes the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, and Gigi Buffon, 45, Ronaldo is one of the few players who are still going strong. Hardly can one think of a player who can match the fitness levels of CR7. But this latest claim from a soccer icon might have significant bite for the Portuguese.

Strength, agility, and talent—name it, and Ronaldo has it. The 5x Ballon d’Or winner’s soccer prowess is a testament to his stellar career. It also makes him stand out from other players on the pitch, even if he’s close to touching 40.

Soccer legend makes gutsy claim about Cristiano Ronaldo

At an age where many players have considered management, Ronaldo continues to prove that he has plenty left in the tank. However, former Dutch international, Marco Van Basten, insists he could have been much better than the 38-year-old Ronaldo when he himself was 38. Having won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 with AC Milan, the defender’s career was marred with injuries and physical limitations. Interestingly, he missed 55 games over a course of 391 days for the Serie A club due to an ankle injury.

Recently, Van Basten voiced his thoughts on the De Cor podcast, where he discussed modern players who have approached the game of soccer with a similar level of skill and dedication as players did in his own era. “Lewandowski looks a little like me,” the former Dutch striker explained as per by Alfredo Pedulla. “Cristiano Ronaldo I think has come close to me. Although he physically is stronger than me. Ronaldo is 38 years old and still active, I would have liked to see if I got to play until I was 38, I think I would have been even better,” he added.

Notably, Van Basten retired at the age of 31. The former Ajax star even took a shot at management, with his last stint as the Assistant Coach of Netherlands in 2016.

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Be that as it may, it is surely an eyebrow-raising comment from the legendary player. We don’t know if that would be true or not, but it’s unlikely anyone would compete like Ronaldo is doing at 38. In fact, the Portuguese recently won his first trophy in the Gulf.

CR7 wins a trophy at 38

Surely age is just a number for Ronaldo. As earlier this week, the striker won his first piece of silverware with Al Nassr. The skipper led his side to their very first Arab Club Champions League win against Al Hilal. Not only that, but he even scored a brace to power a comeback in the second half. Although the win came at the cost of Ronaldo being carted away, he had a smile after finally opening his trophy account with the Jeddah-based club.

Ronaldo also concluded the tournament as the top scorer, scoring six goals and winning the Golden Boot. In a laundry list of accolades, CR7 failed to win another trophy after getting ditched for a $54 million-rated rival star. Nevertheless, for someone like Ronaldo, he surely seems happy with the two trophies he has won.

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