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Pepe: Ronaldo 'light years ahead of anyone else'

Juan Medina / Reuters

On Monday, Pepe praised Cristiano Ronaldo, his teammate with Real Madrid and Portugal, stating he's "light years ahead of anyone else" in the game.

Ronaldo was trumped to the last Ballon d'Or award in January by Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, but Pepe still maintains his compatriot is the greatest around right now, and perhaps ever.

"People like Cristiano are unique, they are people blessed by God," Pepe said to the Portuguese Football Federation via ESPN FC.

"He was blessed by God and knew he would become one of the best in the history of football.

"Cristiano is the best and is light years ahead of anyone else. He's a quiet person, a hard worker and honest."

Ronaldo's latest accolade came Saturday, when his strike in a 4-0 trouncing of Eibar made him the first player to score 30 goals in six consecutive Spanish top-flight seasons.

He and his colleague's face an uphill task Tuesday, however, as Los Blancos have to overturn a 2-0 deficit against VfL Wolfsburg to advance to the Champions League semi-finals.

Despite this tough ask, Ronaldo himself predicted the stage is set for a memorable evening at the Bernabeu.

"Tuesday will be perfect," the 31-year-old told AS. "It'll be a magical night; with your help the players will give the maximum on the pitch and we will go through to the next round. Hala Madrid!"

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