Dong Bortey: I’d be the best in the world if I played in this era

Ex-Ghana forward Bernard Dong Bortey believes he would be the best player in the world if his prime years were in the current era.

Dong Bortey was a household name in the Ghana Premier League in the 2000s and is widely rated as one of the league’s greatest players ever.

He started his career with Ghapoha Readers, before crossing carpets to play for Hearts of Oak, where he became a cult hero.

The winger won four Ghana Premier League titles with the Phobians, as well as the CAF Super Cup and CAF Confederations Cup.

He was also the joint top-scorer in the league in 2003 after netting 18 goals and was part of the Black Starlets side that won bronze at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

However, he didn’t have a successful career with the national team and was capped just seven times despite his great reputation on the local scene.

Dong Bortey is, however, of the view that he would’ve thrived in today’s era and would be among the best players in the world.

The former Hearts of Oak star was, however, quick to add that he’s still content with the career that he’s had.

“If our era were today, I would be the best in the world, but I am grateful to God for bringing me this far. The name Dong Borety will last forever,” he told Mothers FM.

Meanwhile, the 41-year-old also rated himself as a better free-kick taker than Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to him, his free-kick prowess should rather be compared to masters like David Beckham, Juninho and Ronaldinho.

“Ronaldo must sit aside first. You should’ve mentioned Ronaldinho, Beckham, Pirlo, Riquelme and one Mexico defender who played for Barcelona. You have also not mentioned Juninho from Brazil and you’re mentioning Ronaldo.

“Ronaldo is far behind. I played during the era of Juninho and Beckham and Ronaldo was a kid back then. He wasn’t even a starter then. So compare me to the Juninhos, Ronaldinhos and Roberto Carlos. Those are the ones you should be mentioning. Ronaldo is a kid,” he added.

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