Rio Ferdinand: 'Cristiano Ronaldo as good as Diego Maradona, Pele'

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is "on par" with the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele.

Maradona and Pele are widely regarded as the two standout players in the history of the sport, but Ferdinand has placed Ronaldo, as well as Barcelona's Lionel Messi, in that prestigious company.

"Is Ronaldo on par with all-time greats like Maradona and Pele? Yeah, absolutely, 100%. Him and Messi, we are probably not giving them as much credit as they deserve because this is their era and we are seeing them play," Ferdinand told Goal.com.

Ferdinand, who now represents Queens Park Rangers, played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009.