Cristiano Ronaldo: I'm the most complete player to have existed

Cristiano Ronaldo has declared himself "the most complete player to have existed," insisting that his accomplishments speak for themselves.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who turned 40 on Wednesday, continues to rewrite football’s history books. With 923 career goals, Ronaldo stands as the highest-scoring male footballer ever, adding to his tally with a brace in Al Nassr’s 4-0 victory over Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League on Monday.

"Who's the best goal scorer in history? It's about numbers. Full stop," Ronaldo said during an interview with Spanish program El Chiringuito.

"Who's the player in history who's scored most goals with their head, their left foot, penalties, free kicks? I was looking the other day, and not being left-footed, I'm in the top 10 goal scorers with their left foot in history. And with my head, and with my right foot, and penalties. All of them."

Ronaldo’s career has often been defined by his rivalry with Lionel Messi, with fans and pundits comparing the two as contenders for the title of the greatest player of all time.

"I'm talking about numbers," Ronaldo continued. "I think I'm the most complete player to have existed. In my opinion, I think it's me. I do everything well in football: with my head, free kicks, left foot. I'm fast, I'm strong.

"One thing is taste -- if you like Messi, Pelé, Maradona, I understand that and I respect that -- but saying Ronaldo isn't complete... I'm the most complete. I haven't seen anybody better than me, and I say it from the heart."

Despite his long list of achievements and advancing age, Ronaldo remains determined to keep competing at the highest level for both club and country.

"I'm so competitive that sometimes I forget what I've achieved," he admitted. "Because it gives me motivation to do more and do better every year ... I think that's the difference with others. Somebody else in my position would have left football 10 years ago. I'm different, full stop."