Virat Kohli Hails Cristiano Ronaldo As "The Greatest Of All Time"

Cricket superstar Virat Kohli has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo by calling the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player the "greatest of all time".

Cricket superstar Virat Kohli has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal icon's World Cup career came to an end.

Ronaldo's last ever appearance at a FIFA finals was as a 51st-minute substitute in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Morocco in Qatar.

The Portugal captain left the field in tears and later said in a statement on Instagram that "the biggest and most ambitious dream" of his career had "ended".

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured leaving the field in tears after Portugal were beaten by Morocco :: IMAGO/Rodolfo Buhrer/Fotoarena

Ronaldo is currently without a club after his Manchester United contract was terminated by mutual consent last month.

He will be 38 in February and it is widely accepted by those outside of Ronaldo's immediate circle that his powers have faded significantly with age.

But while Ronaldo may no longer be on par with world soccer's top stars of today, he is still arguably the best player ever to grace the sport.

Ronaldo is the "greatest of all time", according to Indian batsman Kohli, who is currently the only player in cricket history to score more than 4,000 runs in T20 internationals.

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli pictured playing with a soccer ball in 2015 :: IMAGO/Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times

Kohli took to Twitter on Monday to write to Ronaldo: "No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you've done in this sport and for sports fans around the world.

"No title can explain the impact you've had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That's a gift from god.

"A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson.

"You are for me the greatest of all time."