Cristiano Ronaldo is still the world’s best player despite not reaching his usual heights at Juventus, according to former Portugal team-mate Nani.
Ronaldo helped Juve win Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first season in Italy, scoring 28 goals in 43 games in all competitions.
However, that was the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s lowest scoring return since 2008-09, when he netted 26 for Manchester United.
But Nani – now playing for MLS side Orlando City – has no doubt Ronaldo is still the best player in the world.
“It was a successful season for him. I think he did great,” he told Omnisport.
“It is not easy to play in Italy because the football there is very tactical, the defenders there defend a lot.
“He scored a lot of goals, continued to be the best in the world. I think he did great.”
While Juve won an eighth successive Serie A title, they again fell short in their bid for a first Champions League crown since 1996, losing to Ajax in the quarter-finals in what proved to be just one of many shocks in the competition.
One month ago today, @Cristiano scored THIS bullet header in the Turin Derby! #ForzaJuve #CR7JUVE pic.twitter.com/ShNlbeCsdK
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 3, 2019
To his credit, Ronaldo scored in both legs of the quarter-final loss, earning a 1-1 draw for his side on the road before falling to a 2-1 defeat in Turin.
Ronaldo will be hoping to bring Portugal another trophy as his leads the side against Switzerland in the Nations League semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner taking on either England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday.
And the Juve star should have plenty of help, with Manchester City‘s Bernardo Silva also expected to play a big part for Portugal.
“Bernardo is a fantastic player,” Nani said of the midfielder. “He’s a natural player.
“He’s been doing great. He has a long career in front of him to improve each year.
“But this season was fantastic, his best season of his career at Man City. And I think he was one of the most important players who helped to win the title for City.”
Should Portugal win, they’ll take on either England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday.
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