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Cristiano Ronaldo's status as one of the greatest footballers in history is beyond debate. The Portuguese has enjoyed a highly decorated career, winning five Ballon awards, four European Golden Shoes, five Champions League titles and many more. No wonder so many young players are modelling their careers after him.
When a superstar like Ronaldo praises a player, it's natural that the player will have a lot of attention on him. That has been the case with many youngsters who have been lauded by the Portuguese maestro over the years. While some of these players have become established names in European football, some are still progressing in their careers.
On that note, here's a look at five young players who have received praise from Ronaldo over the years and how they've fared so far:
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#5 Martin Odegaard
During his days at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked to name five young players to keep an eye on, during an interview in 2015. Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard was the first name he talked about.
Ronaldo said of the attacking midfielder:
"You see many players with potential, I will mention (Martin) Odegaard of Madrid, for example. At 16, he's still young, but you can see he's a very good player."
At the time of the interview, Odegaard was making waves in Real Madrid's youth team. He was promoted to the senior team just two years later, and was sent out on loan to gain experience in the next few years.
The Norwegian had a splendid loan spell with Arsenal last season, which convinced the Gunners to sign Odegaard permanently this summer. He has started the current campaign on the front foot, scoring once and assisting another in six appearances so far.
#4 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is another player Cristiano Ronaldo included in his list of five players to keep an eye on in the aforementioned interview. The Frenchman was just 22 at the time, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to say Pogba has lived up to that hype.
Pogba is already a FIFA World Cup winner after helping France to the global title in Russia in 2018. He also helped Les Bleus win the UEFA Nations League this summer. Pogba has bagged 38 goals and 49 assists for Manchester United in 215 appearances across competitions.
#3 Memphis Depay
In the same interview mentioned earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo highlighted Memphis Depay as one of the top future stars in football. He said:
"The No7 of Manchester (United), (Memphis) Depay, is a good player too."
It's worth noting that Depay was given the no.7 jersey Ronaldo vacated at Manchester United when he left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. The Dutchman arrived at Old Trafford following a successful spell with PSV Eindhoven. But he couldn't withstand the pressure of the Premier League, as he was just 21 at the time.
Nevertheless, Depay enjoyed a decent spell with Olympique Lyon, whom he joined in 2017. His brilliant performances in the French league earned him a transfer to Barcelona this summer. The attacker is off to a bright start at Camp Nou, having bagged four goals and two assists for the Blaugrana so far this season.
#2 Andre Silva
It was a huge honour for Andre Silva when Cristiano Ronaldo identified him as the man to take up the leadership role for Portugal when the latter eventually retires. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made the observation while speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport in 2017.
Ronaldo was quoted as saying:
"When I retire, Portugal will be in good hands because they have already found a great striker - Andre Silva."
Silva is already proving to be a reliable figure for the national team. The attacker has bagged an impressive 19 goals in 47 games for Portugal since making his debut in September 2016. He is currently firing on all cylinders for RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga, where he has bagged two goals and as many assists in eight matches so far this season.
#1 Joao Felix
Just a few days after Joao Felix completed his massive €126 million transfer to Atletico Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked in an interview with TVI whether the young forward could emulate his success in La Liga.
Ronaldo responded:
"Can he repeat my successes in Spain? I believe that a lot, because he is an excellent player with a lot of potential who can evolve."
Joao Felix has been nowhere near emulating Ronaldo's exploits in Spain just yet. But it goes without saying that the attacker has had a promising start to life at Atletico Madrid since joining them two years ago.
Felix has bagged 19 goals and nine assists for the Rojiblancos in 81 appearances across competitions. He played a decent role as Diego Simeone's men ran riot on their way to claiming the La Liga title last season. Felix contributed seven goals and six assists.
