I coached legends from Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich, but none of them equaled Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former Real Madrid assistant coach Paul Clement has worked with some of the best in the business.

The English coach was the right hand for carlo anceloti not only in the Spanish club, but also in Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich – a role that has seen him cross paths with many global superstars.

In each of the four clubs, Gracious He contributed to at least one trophy with some of the highlights, including Chelsea's double domestic victory in 2010, Real Madrid's Champions League victory in 2014 and PSG's Ligue 1 triumph in 2013.

Since then, the 52-year-old has also taken up managerial roles at clubs including Derby County, Swansea City and Reading.

But speaking to Ally McCoist and Andy Townsend on talkSPORT Breakfast, Clement admitted that of all the players he has had the privilege of working with, there is one who stands head and shoulders above the rest.

He told talkSPORT: “I have worked with great players at different clubs, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern and obviously Real Madrid. And there is a group of players, I think the list is too long to mention, but at Chelsea (John Terry) , (Frank Lampard), Ashley Cole, (Didier) Drogba: notable players.

“You go to PSG and there are Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), (David) Beckham, Thiago Silva, great players.

“Bayern was full of incredible talent. (Arjen) Robben, (Franck) Ribery (Robert) Lewandoswki, (Thomas) Muller, (Philipp) Lahm, (Manuel) Neuer… they had a great team at that time.

“And then Madrid, well, (Gareth) Bale, (Karim) Benzema, (Sergio) Ramos, (Luka) Modric, Toni Kroos… a lot of good players!

“But the most outstanding is Cristiano (ronaldo). “

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And when asked to explain why the Portuguese striker surpassed all others, Clement explained that it was his approach to football, both on and off the field, that set him apart.

“Every game was like you started with a 1-0 or 2-0 lead,” he said. “I mean, he was very consistent with his scoring. The first season he scored 51… 51! It used to be 25, 30 was good. And the second season he scored 60. And he had done it in previous years. low (José ) Mourinho and he also continued.

“He was an incredible talent. People often ask if he worked harder than anyone else. No, not necessarily, but he managed his life, his profession better than anyone.

“Some of the sacrifices he made, the rest, his understanding of diet and nutrition, recovery, he did better than anyone. He really was at such a high level professionally.”

Clement was an assistant coach at Real Madrid between 2013 and 2015, meaning he coincided with Ronaldo for half of his time at the Spanish club.

The forward spent nine years at Real Madrid, winning a staggering fifteen trophies during that period.

Even during the two seasons that Clement coincided with Ronaldo, the club won the Copa del Reyhe Champions Leaguehe European Super Cup and the inauguration Club World Cup.

The successful assistant manager-turned-coach left his most recent role as first-team coach at Everton in January 2023, but told talkSPORT he was keen to return to a managerial role in the near future.

With twenty years of managerial experience under his belt, Clement reflected on what his experiences had taught him, including how to get the best out of players who sometimes had big egos.

He said: “I remember a great quote from (Arsene) Wenger saying: what do you want to have, a difficult week and an easy weekend, or an easy week and a difficult weekend?

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“I remember my days at Chelsea when I was a young manager, there was a strong dressing room, you know (Terry), (Lampard), Drogba, (Michael) Essien, (Petr) Cech, (Michael) Ballack, all those guys, and You know, they were tested, especially as a young coach, but they delivered on the weekend, so you know, that's what they want.

“Do top players have big egos? Yes, they do. But they need it. They need it to deal with pressure, to play at the highest level and it's about having confidence in your ability even when things aren't going well. “