Cristiano Ronaldo has already named the toughest opponent he has ever faced in his long and successful career.
The 38-year-old, who now plays for Al Nassr, often clashed with defenders during his spells at Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus.
Early in his career, Ronaldo terrorized defenders with his direct runs, quick feet and unique dribbling style, before adapting his game to become a complete center forward in recent years.
In his second spell at United, he scored 16 goals in his only full season in the Premier League. He continues to shake the nets with Al Nassr in the Saudi championship, scoring 20 goals in 20 matches since his arrival in January.
In recent years he has changed roles and positions and found himself matched against a range of defenders and styles, but there is one Premier League star who has always stood out in Ronaldo’s eyes.
This is Ashley Cole, considered by many to be the best left-back of the Premier League era with Arsenal and Chelsea.
Ronaldo faced the England legend when he played for both clubs, and when he faced the Three Lions with Portugal.
Since retiring, the former defender has held coaching roles with England U21s, Derby and Everton.
Ronaldo explained that Cole was the toughest opponent he ever faced.
He told Coach Mag: “Over the years, I’ve had some big battles with Ashley Cole. He doesn’t give you a second to breathe.
“He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, fast, hard at the tackle. We knew it would never be an easy match.”
Shortly after signing for Chelsea in 2006, Cole faced Ronaldo, and his performance went a long way to show why the Portuguese icon found it so difficult to play against him.
Cole recalled to Chelsea TV: “I was so focused on that game. Even in the locker room, I felt different heading into this match.
“My focus and concentration – mentally, I was on full blast. I came to show him the line because I wanted to measure myself against him with my speed.
“And a bit of mentality actually. I think I got into his head a few times. He always wanted something more.”
2023-09-16 01:04:41
#Ronaldo #named #toughest #opponent #faced #career
