For years, Cristiano Ronaldo was the Premier League’s biggest star—so much so that Real Madrid paid a record fee to sign him from Manchester United in 2009. Over 15 years later, Ronaldo’s playing style has changed dramatically. His former teammate Rio Ferdinand discussed that transformation, drawing a comparison to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
It all began a few days ago when Rafa Benitez gave an interview to Shoot For Love, where he shared thoughts on current and past players. “You talk about attackers, Salah has been consistent for so many years… Ronaldo is the greatest maybe finisher, but Salah is more complete,” said the coach, who won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in 2005.
Ferdinand responded in a video posted to his YouTube channel, arguing that the two forwards have more in common than Benitez suggested. “I actually think they are more similar than what Rafa Benitez thinks,” said the former England defender, who retired in 2015. “Cristiano Ronaldo has morphed into a player who just is there to finish the game. He’s there to finish things off, get him on the end of a chance and he will take it.”
Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo for six seasons at Manchester United, knows firsthand how Ronaldo evolved on the pitch. “He can be quiet for 89 minutes and then get a goal out of nowhere. He can score in the first minute and he could be quiet for the rest of the game,” Ferdinand explained. “But he’s always there for a chance. Always sniffing around, even when he’s not in the game.”
Finally, Ferdinand addressed the Salah comparison again: “Is Mo Salah much different to that? Is he a player who takes the running off a game, the momentum of a game? It shifts just because he starts getting on it and comes deep and gets involved in football? Not really.”
How Cristiano Ronaldo’s style changed
Ferdinand’s comments carry weight, considering he witnessed Ronaldo’s transformation up close. When Cristiano arrived at Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003, he was a flashy winger with blazing pace and one-on-one ability, along with a solid scoring instinct.
Over time, though, Ronaldo not only changed his traits but also his position on the field. That transformation began at Real Madrid, where he shifted to a more central role—though often starting from the left wing. It was during this period that he cemented his status as a world-class goal scorer, going head-to-head with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in the race for La Liga’s scoring title year after year.
Eventually, as physical changes came with age, Ronaldo lost some of the explosiveness and raw speed that had defined his early years. In response, he evolved into a true center forward—one with refined technical skills and elite movement in the box, able to exploit even the smallest spaces to beat defenders and score.
Ronaldo vs Salah
With a seven-year age gap, it’s clear that Ronaldo and Salah are in very different stages of their careers. The Liverpool winger is still in his prime at 33 years old and remains one of the top stars in the Premier League. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is in the final phase of his playing career with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Naturally, that means Ronaldo has had more time to build his career numbers. Across 23 years as a professional, he has scored 946 goals in 1,291 matches, including stints with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr, and the Portugal national team. That works out to a scoring average of 0.73 goals per game.
Salah’s career is shorter by comparison. Since his professional debut in 2010, he has played for Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, AS Roma, Liverpool, and the Egypt national team. In that time, he has scored 309 goals in 767 games, for an average of 0.4 goals per match.