Former Manchester United defender backed his old team-mate to shine in Milan
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RIO FERDINAND believes there is only going to be one hero at the San Siro — and that is his old pal Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United’s 2008 Champions League-winning captain cannot wait to see Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale strut their stuff in Saturday’s all-Madrid final between Real and Atletico in Milan.
But Rio reckons both are still second billing to his former United team-mate.
The ex-England star said: “Gareth Bale has done brilliantly at Real but you can’t look beyond Cristiano.
“In each of his last three seasons he has hit more than 50 goals.
“When we were at United everyone always thought he was going to be world-class. That was never in doubt.
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“But nobody can turn around and say they expected him to score 50 goals a season. No one could have imagined it was possible.
“Things like that just weren’t done, not even thought about. The top players in the world back then were scoring 30-35 goals a season.
“But Cristiano and Lionel Messi have blown away expectations and rewritten the history books.
“It means now if they score 30 goals each next season they would have had a disgraceful campaign.
“It’s incredible. They have taken it up to a whole new level.”
And Rio, 37, has urged football fans to watch the Portuguese matador deliver a masterclass while they can.
The BT Sport pundit said: “Everyone seems to love Messi but Cristiano doesn’t really get the respect and adulation he deserves.
“They both deserve the highest praise. They have made this a golden era for football — but I don’t think we appreciate it yet. You normally only get one truly world-class player in a generation but we have two. We should savour them while we can.”
Patriotic Rio will watch Saturday’s clash with a heavy heart.
He said: “As an Englishman you have to be disappointed that we have no clubs in the final again.
“But you cannot hide the fact our teams are not good enough.
“The Premier League standard this season has not been rubbish but it was nowhere near as high as years gone by. A big reason has been inconsistency.
“The only two consistent teams in the division this season were Leicester and Tottenham — and I can’t see them doing any better in the Champions League.”
The Foxes will be embarking on their first ever Champions League campaign after winning the Prem title this term, while third-placed Spurs will only be making their second appearance.
But Rio – who also played for United when they lost to Barcelona in the finals of 2009 and 2011 — said: “They simply do not have the quality of Europe’s best.
“Leicester have sat back this season and invited teams to come at them. If they do that in the Champions League they will more than likely get punished.
“The top strikers in that competition only need half a chance.
“Atletico have done really well to get past Bayern and Barca. But Real have already beaten them in a Champions League final — 4-1 two years ago.
“That is a big thing mentally — it is a big factor and I think Real will take confidence from that.
“But then if Griezmann gets just one chance he could win it for Atletico.
“Diego Godin is the other key player for Atletico. He is something else, he makes the back four tick.”
l BT Sport is your home of unmissable live football. Watch the Uefa Champions League final exclusively live on Saturday, May 28 on BT Sport Europe, BT Sport Showcase and live on YouTube via youtube.com/btsport
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