Peter Crouch is a Sportsmail columnist

When you have a long career in football, there will be games that you need reminding that you played in. Days that were unremarkable and uneventful quickly slip out your mind.

But there will always be matches that stay with you forever, no matter how long ago they were, days when you remember every little detail. They tend to be when you achieved something significant or saw something out of the ordinary. One little trigger will take you right back.

That is what happened on Tuesday. Watching Real Madrid against Juventus, I started thinking about an England Under 21 game in which I was involved, away to Portugal, in March 2003. That was the night Cristiano Ronaldo opened my eyes to a different way of playing football.

We had a decent team then — Gareth Barry, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe all started — but we knew we were coming up against a special player. The talk before the game, though, was not about Ronaldo. We were more worried about Ricardo Quaresma. Nobody had heard of Ronaldo.

Quaresma did not disappoint. He was magnificent and kept hitting these 50-yard balls across the field, but Ronaldo was ridiculous. He was so good. He would control those sweeping passes from Quaresma from the opposite flank — with his back! — before setting off towards goal at unbelievable speed.

You could only feel for Jlloyd Samuel and Paul Konchesky, who were our full backs. They were run ragged and by the end, we lost 4-2 and Ronaldo scored.

So when he arrived in the Premier League later that year, I knew from that night what to expect from Ronaldo, with all the tricks and flicks. But I will be honest, I never anticipated that he would become arguably the greatest centre forward we have ever seen and one of the two best players to ever live.

I will never forget the first time I faced Cristiano Ronaldo... he was an unbelievable talent

Now, admittedly, there is an area of his game that still must be improved.

Only a select few of us have successfully executed a bicycle kick in the Champions League and while his goal against Juventus was good, I am happy to impart my wisdom if he wants his next attempt to be better!

Seriously, we are privileged to be watching a football phenomenon and I think the reaction of the Juventus supporters, who rose to their feet to recognise that unbelievable strike, was a measure of what he has achieved.

The only time I’ve ever seen a stadium give a standing ovation to a visiting player before was when the Brazilian Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid at Old Trafford in 2003.

RIcardo Quaresma (left) was the Portuguese wonderkid that everyone was talking about

When Ronaldo joined Manchester United in 2003, I knew he would bring an array of tricks

It was a class gesture by the Juve faithful last week but totally deserved because the Portuguese is on another level.

The numbers and his ruthlessness set him apart. Every week, every big game, you know he is going to produce and the goals keep coming. Ronaldo is absolutely single-minded and I saw first-hand how he will let nothing get in his way of winning.

During the 2006 World Cup quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen, we couldn’t believe the brutal way he got Wayne Rooney sent off. It did not matter one little bit that they played together for Manchester United, Ronaldo was intent on getting Wayne a red card but that was glimpse into his world.

He will not entertain the idea of losing and I am convinced that what Lionel Messi does for Barcelona drives on Ronaldo. How many times have you seen Messi score a hat-trick one night and then Ronaldo do the same 24 hours later? It can’t be a coincidence.

Ronaldo brought the Juventus Stadium to its feet after scoring a spectacular overhead kick

The 33-year-old appeared gracious after receiving the ovation and thanked the Juventus fans

I never got to see Diego Maradona play, other than on TV. I have seen only clips of Johan Cruyff and Pele and read about the feats of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, but I honestly believe Ronaldo and Messi are the two greatest players who have ever breathed.

A few weeks ago, I referred to the fact that I will enjoy telling my grandchildren one day that I shared a pitch with Messi — it was during a Champions League game for Liverpool in 2007 — but I will say the same about Ronaldo.

People love discussing which one of the two is the best and it is certainly interesting. I have always been in Messi’s camp, as I feel his talents are God-given and natural, while Ronaldo has worked relentlessly to make himself invincible with that incredible physical strength.

Really, though, the argument about who is better should stop. We do not know how much longer we are going to see them and we should just enjoy what they are doing without trying to make one of them second best.

These players have provided countless memories for countless people, whether it was with a trick or a flick in a little game or a goal to win a trophy. Do not separate them. Savour them.

Endless hours have been spent debating whether Lionel Messi or Ronaldo is the greatest ever

The best atmosphere I have ever played in was the 2007 Champions League semi-final for Liverpool against Chelsea and it looked like Wednesday night at Anfield was on par.

It was almost old-school, with people hanging off lampposts and bus shelters to welcome the team on Anfield Road — I am not, it should be stressed, condoning any of the behaviour that saw Manchester City’s coach smashed up — but the atmosphere inside the stadium definitely had an influence as the Liverpool team raised their game it was obvious it had the reverse effect on City in the first half.

Once again Mohamed Salah was in the thick of the action with another goal and assist but two players who really stood out where James Milner and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Milner, especially, did not let Kevin De Bruyne out of his sight. Many simply do not appreciate what a top professional Milner is.

I had a feeling Liverpool would win the first leg but, no matter how big their advantage is, I do not believe the tie is already over. City are one of the best sides in the world and if any team can overcome a three-goal deficit, they can.

The atmosphere at Anfield for Wednesday's 3-0 win over Manchester City was incredible

Why I'd love to see Tottenham win the FA Cup

During the years I spent at Tottenham Hotspur, the ambition was always to overhaul Arsenal and take control of north London.

I left White Hart Lane in 2011 but I’ve continued to follow that story and it’s always interesting to see how the two teams measure up. We played Arsenal last Sunday and should have taken something off them. Stoke have always found a way of causing problems for Arsene Wenger.

With Tottenham, however, it’s been a different story.

Spurs have given us some difficult days in the last few years and I have come off from some games thinking they are the best team in the Premier League.

They move the ball so fast and, along with Manchester City and Liverpool, I love watching them.

Dele Alli (left) and Tottenham's Son Heung-min celebrate their win over Chelsea last weekend

They had a big day last weekend when winning at Chelsea and I cannot see them finishing outside the top four. What I really want to see from them, however, is an end to the talk about them not winning trophies and I will be rooting for them in the FA Cup.

I know how much it would mean to Tottenham to win some silverware. I played in the 2010 FA Cup semi-final against Portsmouth and that day was a killer. I hit a post and had a goal disallowed in a match we lost 2-0 but should have won. That was as close as we got to winning anything.

Tottenham have made themselves regulars in the top four but they are too good not to have medals. I know what the outside view of Tottenham used to be — Jamie Carragher used to say at Liverpool ‘they’ll blow up, they always do’ — but I also know how much they want that to change.

I will be doing all I can to beat them this afternoon but, once that is out the way, I will be hoping the power shift in north London gets a silver seal.

Farewell, Ray, a true legend — and a lovely fella

There is no getting away from the saddest story of the week. You will have seen many emotional tributes to Ray Wilkins following his untimely death at the age of 61, and they are all sincere.

I never had the privilege to work with Ray but I saw him play for Queens Park Rangers when I was a kid and he was a legend. He would be in the middle of the park, bossing games with the quality of his passing and his intelligence. You could see he would be a coach one day.

He used to live close by me and whenever I bumped into him, Ray would always want to talk football and be genuinely enthusiastic. He would listen to what you had to say, and offer you some advice if he thought you needed it.

His words were always insightful. He just loved football.

Other people have articulated their feelings better than I ever could, from Jody Morris, Nigel Quashie and John Terry, but I will say is that he was a player of great distinction. More than that, he was a lovely, lovely fella. My thoughts go out to his family and many, many friends.

I never had the privilege to work with Ray but I saw him starring for QPR when I was a kid