Former Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano has expressed his belief that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain one of the best players in the world in his thirties.

Ronaldo will turn 30 early next year, but Valdano has claimed that the Portuguese will continue to thrive in the coming seasons.

"Normally, age starts playing a role in football as you get older. But Ronaldo is exceptional on all counts, including this," Valdano told Marca.

"Cristiano is a tremendous player. He is always looking for perfection and is incredibly ambitious, which only spurs on his teammates. This is worth a lot, just like all his goals.

"I think Ronaldo is the only player in the world who could play in each position in attack and be dominant regardless of where he plays. The shortest distance between two points is the distance between Ronaldo and the goal."

Ronaldo has been strongly linked with a return to Manchester United next summer.