Raúl: Ronaldo has lost his pace, but maintains his ability

Raúl rarely misses an opportunity to praise Cristian Ronaldo. In an interview with German magazine ‘Kicker’, he discussed the Portuguese’ new role at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo's positional re-jig

‘Cristiano is playing closer to the box, and that is difficult’, said the former Real Madrid captain, ‘But please, he still maintains his ability. Perhaps he doesn’t have the same freshness and pace as before, but that is normal for his age. He may stop trying to take players on as much, but we have been spoiled.'

Raúl has been impressed by Ronaldo’s form.

‘Cristiano has won the Ballon D'or this year, and up until this point, has had a good season. Now the business-end of the season is approaching, and that is where the main actors appear. I hope that he continues his good form.’

Messi or Ronaldo?

Asked about the unremitting comparisons with Lionel Messi, Raúl remained coy: ‘football is not an individual sport, it is about the team, and success comes as a team. I like both of them, but what Cristiano has done in front of goal, to score 50 goals or more each season, it’s honourable.’

World-class Kroos

Raúl also spoke about Toni Kroos, for whom he ran out of superlatives.

‘The Madrid midfield of Modric, Casemiro, and Kroos complement each other very well. They’re all world class. Kroos? Kroos is fundamental to the team.’

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