Luiz Felipe Scolari, who coached Portugal from 2003 to 2008, has explained why he consistently voted Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi in Ballon d’Or polls, describing their bond as that of father and son. Scolari drew a clear contrast between Messi’s natural genius and Ronaldo’s relentless self-construction, backed by anecdotes from Sir Alex Ferguson’s frustrated phone calls about Ronaldo’s overtraining. He also revealed the deeply personal moment when he had to inform Ronaldo of his father’s death before a major match, which only deepened their connection. Scolari believes Ronaldo will reach 1,000 career goals.
