Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has called teammate Cristiano Ronaldo a "legend" who deserves respect, amid new doubts over the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's long-term future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ramos' comments came after Ronaldo reopened debate over his contract situation after his goal secured the Club World Cup for Madrid with a 1-0 victory over Gremio on Saturday -- their fifth trophy win of 2017.
The Portugal captain told reporters in Abu Dhabi that he "hoped to end his career" at Madrid although "that was not up to me," which was taken as a nudge towards securing a new contract, including a pay rise, from his current employers.
Madrid chief Florentino Perez appeared to knock back this idea when he spoke on Saturday evening, saying he hoped Ronaldo did see out his career at the club, but adding that the 32-year-old still has three-and-a-half years to run on a deal signed just over 12 months ago.
The issue rumbled on as Madrid returned home to begin preparations for Saturday's La Liga Clasico, with Marca's cover on Monday morning claiming that "Cristiano wants more," while also saying that "the club maintains that the issue of contract renewals is now closed."
Speaking after Ronaldo had again proved decisive in a showpiece occasion, Ramos told Telefoot that his teammate had already written himself into football's history books.
"Our No. 7 is a forward like we have never seen," Ramos said. "He is already a legend, and will be recognised as one of the best players in the history of football. Cristiano has a very important weight in the team, we all respect him."
Marca reported over the weekend that Ronaldo's main issue is that he has seen both Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar sign bigger contracts than his current Madrid deal.
Recent months also brought speculation about internal discord at the Bernabeu, with Ronaldo having openly questioned the club's transfer policy last summer, and Ramos having appeared to publicly rebuke his teammate over the comments before then saying that the pair's friendship was too strong to be threatened by such differences of opinion.
Another complicating factor is Ronaldo's ongoing issues with the Spanish taxman, who still maintain that he has committed a €14.7 million tax fraud -- a problem which led sources at his agents Gestifute to tell ESPN FC last summer that he wanted to leave the country.