"Can't really play ball but knows ball" - Fans react as Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk names Cristiano Ronaldo as his favorite sportsperson

Chelsea attacker Mykhailo Mudryk admitted that he was a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. Fans, however, made a mockery of Mudryk's seemingly innocuous comments about the Portuguese legend.

When asked who his favourite sportsperson of all time is, Mudryk uttered two words (via @MadridXtra):

"Cristiano Ronaldo."

After Mudryk expressed his admiration for Cristiano, fans shared their thoughts about the winger's choice. One fan gave him a backhanded compliment.

"He knows ball, can't really play ball but knows ball," mocked a user.

Others also chimed in with their opinions of the Ukraine international.

"Okay he knows ball, maybe he’s not that bad afterall 😁," posted another Chelsea fan.

"Someone said you're destined for greatness when CR is your idol. Can you explain Mudryk to me😂," user @etfm25 added in jest.

"Oh brother," read a cryptic post on X.

An apparent Cristiano Ronaldo fan mocked Mudryk but promised to 'never slander him again'.

"You’re a*s but I’m never slandering you again," the user posted.

Mykhailo Mudryk has been the subject of ridicule from fans since failing to live up to the hype after signing for Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.

"I like Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality" - Chelsea's Mudryk

The 23-year-old has scored just seven times in 60 appearances for the Premier League side since signing an eight-and-a-half-year deal with them.

Mudryk was reportedly targetted by Arsenal after setting the field alight with his performances for the Ukrainian club. The attacker made 29 goal contributions in just 44 appearances for Shakhtar, prompting top European clubs to take notice.

In January 2023, new Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital swooped in to sign Mudryk from under Arsenal's nose in a deal that could go up to £88.6 million.

He revealed his love for Cristiano Ronaldo during his unveiling at the club.

"It was Ronaldo, I liked his mentality," Mudryk admitted when asked who his footballing icons were growing up (via football.london).

New Blues manager Enzo Maresca was critical of Mudryk, talking about his inconsistency after the club's 2-0 UEFA Conference League play-off first-leg win against Servette.

"This (inconsistency) is Mudryk, in terms of not only tonight, but in terms of since he joined the club. I think he had some good moments and then some moments like flipping a coin. You don’t know if it’s one thing or the other thing," admitted Maresca (via Metro).

The Blues boss highlighted that they are working on Mudryk's decision-making, which is what is stopping him from fulfilling his potential.

"For me, most of the mistakes from Misha is not about the quality or the technical mistake, it’s about the choice. Sometimes he has to play and he tries to do something different and we lose the ball. Sometimes he has to go one-v-one, it’s about decision making. Hopefully we can help him and improve that," admitted Maresca.

Chelsea travel to Servette to play the second leg of the play-off on Thursday, August 29.