Thomas Muller lauds 'extraordinary' Cristiano Ronaldo as Bayern Munich star labels Real Madrid talisman a footballing phenomenon

Bayern Munich striker Thomas Muller is equally in awe of Cristiano Ronaldo as anyone else who watched the Real Madrid star bag yet another hat-trick.

The German was full of admiration and praise for Ronaldo and labelled his ability as 'extraordinary'.

The Ballon d'Or holder netted his 42nd treble of his Real career in the 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg and Ronaldo's brilliance did not escape Muller.

He said: "Basically we all know that he is extraordinary, in his appearance and with his sporting performances. So he's already a phenomenon."

"You cannot achieve such numbers of goals for so many years and so often without having to work hard."

The Bayern forward understands that Ronaldo receives deserved acclaim but thinks there is one aspect to his game which flies under the radar.

"He has enormous physical and technical qualities, of course. But what impresses me the most are his heading skills. This is sometimes forgotten a bit. He has a fine technique, but he also has mad heading skills," he added.

Unsurprisingly, Muller thinks there is only one other player at a similar level to Ronaldo, a certain Barcelona legend.

"If you look at him or Lionel Messi, the two are on a level above all others," he concluded.