However, Paim failed to live up to his potential, never making a senior appearance for Sporting, and having six loan stints away from the club – including at Chelsea where he also never made a competitive appearance.

In an interview on a podcast hosted by PT Clipes, Paim said he deserved at least one of Ronaldo’s five Ballon d’Or trophies, and that he could have been on par with the Portuguese icon and Lionel Messi ‘if he had half of Cristiano’s brain’.

Ronaldo in response to the video gave a savage response, as he wrote on Instagram: ‘Wtf??? Who is this guy.’

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at a former Sporting Lisbon academy starlet who claimed that he deserved one of the Portuguese icon’s five Ballon d’Or awards

Fabio Paim insisted his career could have matched Ronaldo or Messi if he had ‘half of Cristiano’s brain’

Ronaldo in turn brutally responded to the clip writing: ‘Wtf. Who is this guy?’

His response comes despite a number of reports claiming that Ronaldo said after his move to Man United in 2003: ‘If you think I’m good, wait until you see Fabio Paim.’

Speaking on the podcast, Paim said: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo should offer me one of his Ballon d’Ors. I went to Sporting when I was seven years old, I grew up there.

After leaving Sporting in 2010, he went on to play across the world in countries including Angola, Qatar, Malta, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

The 35-year-old also represented Portugal at youth level and retired from football n 2018.

Paim was one of Portugal’s most highly rated young prospects but failed to live up to his potential

He had a brief loan stint at Chelsea in 2008 but never made a senior appearance for them

Ronaldo’s comments come despite Paim telling the Sun that he and the Portuguese star (right) had been friends during their time at Sporting