“I'd put him at the top” – Cristiano Ronaldo picks Mourinho as his best manager ever

Cristiano Ronaldo has played under several elite managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson, during his illustrious career, but he enjoyed playing under Jose Mourinho the most.

With five Ballons d'Or to his name, Ronaldo is arguably one of the best players of all time. He has also enjoyed significant success with club and country, winning almost every trophy available to him.

Ronaldo has been a mainstay in the Portugal national team since making his breakthrough in 2003. He has played for some of the best clubs in the world as well, including Manchester United and Real Madrid.

This means the forward has played under a host of big-name managers over the last two decades. Among them, the Portuguese icon has played most games under Ferguson. He bagged 118 goals and 63 assists in 292 appearances across competitions under the Scot during his first spell at Manchester United.

However, Ronaldo shockingly snubbed Ferguson when asked to name his favorite manager. The Al-Nassr superstar instead picked former Real Madrid boss Mourinho as the greatest coach he has worked with, to the surprise of many, saying (h/t The Mirror):

"I would put him at the top, I always say that. I have played for so many great coaches, but Jose Mourinho was a big thinker analytically, he went into everything in great detail."

It is safe to say that the feeling is mutual as Jose Mourinho once named coaching Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the highlights of his career, saying (h/t The Mirror):

"Ronaldo's an incredible player. It's like Zinedine Zidane for the French, there will be no other. He is incredible, he's a goalscoring machine.

"Coaching him was the highlight of my career. He's the most professional player I've ever met. A coach and a player may have their differences at a given time, but it ends there."

A Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho reunion could be on the cards

Cristiano Ronaldo's old comments about Jose Mourinho have resurfaced after it emerged that the manager-player duo could reunite in Saudi Arabia. The tactician has reportedly been offered €120 million over two years to take charge of either the country's national team or a club - either Ronaldo's Al-Nassr or Al-Ahli.

Cristiano Ronaldo will certainly relish the opportunity to work with Mourinho once again, as evident by his statement in 2018. He said (h/t The Mirror):

"Work with Mourinho again? Why not?”

Ronaldo played 164 games under Mourinho during their stint together at Real Madrid, bagging 168 goals and 49 assists.