Former England striker Gary Lineker has named Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest Premier League player of all time.

For him, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus superstars did better than the likes of Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Roy Keane, and Patrick Vieira during their respective periods in the English top flight.

Great football stars have graced the Premier League at different periods in time.

Ronaldo’s first period in the Premier League was during his prime, between 2003 and 2009, when he played under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

The Portuguese returned to the club in 2021 and left shortly before the 2022 World Cup.

Ronaldo made 236 Premier League appearances for Manchester United, recording 103 goals and 39 assists.

During his time at Old Trafford, the football icon won the league three consecutive times in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Speaking in an interview with The Times, Lineker was asked to name the greatest Premier League player in history.

“Well, that was probably [Cristiano] Ronaldo because of what he went on to do. But, gosh, so many great players.,” he said.

“You could have a debate just about midfielders and you’d go Gerrard and Scholes and Lampard and Keane and Vieira and so on and so forth.”

Gerrard made 504 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, recording 121 goals and 97 assists.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes played for the club through all of his career, making 499 league appearances.

Another Red Devils legend, Roy Keane, also played for Nottingham Forest, with 366 league appearances in total.

Lampard, a Chelsea legend, also played for West Ham and Manchester City, making a total of 611 league appearances.

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira also played for Manchester City, with a combined 307 league appearances.