“Reminds me of Eddy Merckx, even surpassing him” – Alberto Contador “convinced” Tadej Pogacar will end career as “the very best of all time”

When a former Grand Tour champion offers high praise for a rider at the peak of his powers, it carries weight — particularly when that voice is Alberto Contador, one of the most successful stage racers of the modern era.

Speaking to Eurosport, the two-time Tour de France winner reflected on Tadej Pogacar’s 2025 campaign with clear admiration, describing the Slovenian’s season as one that already positions him among the all-time greats — with the potential, he says, to become the greatest.

“For me, this 2025 season already places him among the greatest in history. And if he continues at this rate, I’m convinced he’ll become the very best of all time,” Contador said.

Pogacar’s consistency and attacking style have long been central to his appeal as a rider, and 2025 has seen those qualities develop further. Over the course of the season, he claimed a fourth Tour de France title, the World and European Championships, and three of cycling’s five Monuments: Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Tour of Flanders, and Il Lombardia.

Contador highlighted not just the results, but the manner in which Pogacar achieved them. “What Pogacar has achieved this season is extraordinary,” he said. “It’s not just that he won the Tour, the World Championship and three Monuments — it’s how he did it. At times, his performances reminded me of Eddy Merckx — and in some cases, even surpassed them.”

Such comparisons to Merckx, the most successful rider in cycling history, are rare, and Contador made clear that it is Pogacar’s approach — not merely his results — that brings the Belgian legend to mind. “He’s the complete rider. He never holds back. He races to win. And in today’s cycling, that’s a rarity. He has an overwhelming hunger to win, but also a tactical intelligence he’s honed over the years.”

Pogacar’s 2025 season has been defined not only by the quantity of victories — 20 in total so far — but by the breadth of terrain and timing over which he has delivered them. From early-season stage races to the final Monument of the year, his form has remained remarkably consistent.

His win at Il Lombardia in October marked a fifth consecutive victory at the Italian Classic — breaking Fausto Coppi’s record — and brought his Monument tally to ten. “What impresses me most is his ability to perform at the highest level on any terrain, at any time of year,” Contador noted. “There are no off days for him — and yet he’s always out in front.”

In a modern era where race programmes are often carefully managed around peak targets, Pogacar’s ability to compete — and win — throughout the calendar is an outlier. It also reinforces his status as a rare all-rounder in contemporary cycling.

With continued success in both one-day Classics and Grand Tours, Pogacar’s trajectory remains upward. He has been challenged by rivals including Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Mathieu van der Poel across a range of terrains, but remains the most consistently dominant rider across disciplines.

Whether he will ultimately be regarded as the greatest of all time remains a subject for future debate. However, Contador’s assessment places that possibility firmly on the table. “If he keeps up this pace, I’ve no doubt he’ll go down as the greatest of all time.”