Brazilian coach lauds 'dedicated player' Ronaldo, says 'might not be' most talented

Brazilian football manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has given an interesting description of Cristiano Ronaldo's strengths and weaknesses by referring to him as the most dedicated player.

However, he is unsure if the Portuguese international is the most talented amongst them all, stating that this is not the first characteristic that comes to his mind.

Luiz Felipe Scolari analyses Cristiano Ronaldo's attributes

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Luiz Felipe Scolari replied, "Oh, man, he is a goal machine," when asked about how good Cristiano Ronaldo was. "He is a fantastic guy. I saw him at Sporting in 2003 with great desire and power. He even has more desire today than he had at the beginning of his career. He is a great person."

Scolari went on to add, "Sometimes we don't see how good a person he is outside of the field. He is very dedicated. He prepared himself to be an athlete. We didn't participate actively in building him to be like this, but Ferguson and his youth coaches were responsible for evolving Cristiano into who he is. It makes me very happy to see him do it at the highest level until this day."

The Brazilian manager formed a close bond with Ronaldo during his stint as the coach of the Portuguese national team. On being asked if the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was the most talented player he had ever coached, Scolari replied, "He is the most dedicated of them all. The most talented, he might not be. Talent is not one of the first virtues when we think of Ronaldo, but dedication is what makes him who he is. It is the first virtue when I think of him." The 37-year old's hard work is second to none as even at this age he continues to play competitive football at the highest level.

Cristiano Ronaldo's stats at Manchester United

Even though Manchester United have struggled so far this season, Cristiano Ronaldo yet has delivered decent goalscoring returns. The Portuguese international has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 18 Premier League games this season. His returns are perhaps more impressive in the UEFA Champions League as they have scored six goals in five matches.

(Image: Instagram@ManchesterUnited)