Former Barcelona full-back Dani Alves has called his long-term foe Cristiano Ronaldo a 'bastard' while admitting that the Portuguese is the toughest opponent he has come across in his career so far. Alves and Ronaldo both played against each other for a long time in La Liga. The 37-year-old Manchester United forward was the star at Real Madrid while the Brazilian was one of the mainstays at Barcelona who used to help his side's magician Lionel Messi reach new heights. As Ronaldo used to play as a left-winger at La Liga, he often had to take on a tough challenge in the form of Alves during the El Clasicos. Cristiano Ronaldo Sports Portugal's New Home Jersey For 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar (See Pic)

The 39-year-old former Blaugrana stressed in an interview that he doesn't hesitate to admit to the fact that Ronaldo is the toughest rival player. Alves has recently completed a one-year comeback stint at Camp Nou. In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, he said: "Cristiano Ronaldo. This bastard doesn't let you breathe for a second. I didn't do too badly, but it's difficult. He's a scoring machine." The Portuguese superstar, who is the highest goalscorer in the history of football, netted 450 times in just 438 games in Real Madrid shirt in his nine-year tenure at the club before he joined Juventus to face a new challenge in Italy.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2022 04:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).