Is Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest Real player of all time?

Cristiano Ronaldo is great but just how great is he?

The obvious and clear answer is no, some kid called Alfredo di Stefano holds that honour but how does he compare to some of the other Real greats?

In January last year Real Madrid legend Raul labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest players of all time but just how great is he?

Raul made the claim after Ronaldo won the first of two consecutive Ballon d'Or awards and he isn't alone in this viewpoint. Earlier this year Valencia coach Nuno Santo called him a "perfect machine" prior to Real's defeat at the Mestalla - a game in which Ronaldo scored - and it is easy to make a case for the Portuguese sensation being the best to ever play the game. Even if you're more of a Lionel Messi, Pele or Diego Maradona fan, few would leave Ronaldo out of their all-time top five or 10 when pushed.

There's a lot to consider when picking a best of all time; how many trophies did they win and does that matter? Do they have to win a World Cup to have a legitimate claim? What era did they play in? Etc.

In football grounds, pubs, long journeys and disappointing social events everywhere people have similar discussions regularly and never come to an agreement, when you restrict it to a specific team, in theory, it gets a little easier to reach a conclusion but it's all subjective.

So is he the greatest to ever wear the famous white shirt of Los Blancos?

To start with, the stats suggest a unanimous 'yes'. Ronaldo, a product of the Sporting Lisbon academy, joined Real in 2009 in a then world record 80million (94million euros) move from Manchester United. At the time there were differing opinions about whether any footballer was worth that amount of money, but considering what he's achieved since, that figure now seems like a bargain.

The 30-year-old has scored 290 goals in 281 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish giants, averaging 1.03 goals per game - that's 0.11 goals a game more than legendary Hungarian Ferenc Puskas and a mammoth 0.59 more than all-time record scorer Raul, who managed 323 in 741 games. If he carries on at this rate Ronaldo could be Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer by the end of the year.

There are other contenders though, and midfielders won't have the same scoring ratio as attackers so the stats don't paint a full picture.

Before Ronaldo, there was Ronaldo. The Brazilian Ronaldo who is seemingly set to make a comeback with US outfit Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The gifted striker spent five years at the Bernabeu, winning the league title once. The two-time World Cup winner managed a decent haul of 83 goals in 127 La Liga appearances for Los Blancos and is widely considered as one of the greatest forwards ever. However, his career in the Spanish capital ended in disappointing fashion as he struggled with injury and weight issues, falling out of favour under Fabio Capello as a result and this potentially tarnishes any claim he has as the greatest ever Madridista.

Some eight years before Ronaldo's transfer from Old Trafford hit the headlines, Real Madrid completed a record breaking deal to sign Zinedine Zidane from Juventus. Zidane was a playmaker with technique and finesse that, at the time, was unrivalled. 'Zizou' won one La Liga crown and one Champions League title in five years with Real - a similar trophy haul to Ronaldo's current honours, aside from a pair of Copa del Rey trophies.

Then there are the loyal servants; Raul, Iker Casillas and Fernando Hierro all spent over 10 years at the Bernabeu and are bona fide club legends. Loyalty arguably plays a part in 'greatest ever to play for a club' debates, indeed many Manchester United fans would put George Best or Bobby Charlton ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international is fully committed to the Madrid cause and may well go on to play for the club for another five years but at present Raul, Casillas, Hierro and others have the beating of him in that respect.

Cristiano Ronaldo is without question the best of Real's current crop. However, is he as joyous to watch as Zidane? The French superstar was a unique talent, his ability more than made up for the fact he was not blessed with a great deal of pace. Ronaldo - in contrast - is the ultimate athlete and has improved year upon year, for Zidane it seemed more effortless. If Ronaldo spends a few more years in Madrid, wins a few more trophies and breaks however many more records he'll prove many wrong - maybe he already has - but as mentioned before, it's all subjective.