"He just exploded" – Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka explains why Cristiano Ronaldo is 'perfect example' for him

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has explained why Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo is the ideal player for him to draw inspiration from.

Saka, 22, has established himself as one of the best wide operators in the world in the past couple of years. He has bagged 33 goals and contributed 25 assists in 92 appearances across all competitions for the Emirates Stadium outfit since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Earlier last month, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed that Saka should attempt to emulate Ronaldo. He stated that the Englishman should try to become a player who can play in 60-70 games in a season.

Asked about Arteta's remarks, Saka responded to Mirror (h/t GOAL):

"He told me the elite players all do it, so if I want to get to that level, I have to be ready to play that many games and try and help my team win each of those games as well."

Hailing the Portuguese attacker, the Arsenal youth product continued:

"He was a perfect example of that. He just exploded and turned into a goalscoring machine and I think he inspired a lot of players to try and follow in his footsteps. But at the same time, I just want to try and be myself and do what's required to play and win for Arsenal."

Stating that he has developed a lot physically, the Arsenal star added:

"I feel like I'm physically much stronger than I was four or five years ago. For each tackle. I have more experience in terms of which ones to go for and which ones to jump, to try to avoid a big tackle. So, I'm much smarter as well as physically stronger than I was."

Joao Cancelo picks Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi in his ultimate 5-a-side team

During a chat with FIFPRO, Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo was queried to pick five stars for his ultimate 5-a-side team. He chose Ederson, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Ronaldinho, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Explaining why he picked Ronaldo over Lionel Messi, Cancelo said:

"Cristiano... for being a legend of my country, for all the goals he has scored and for continuing to inspire the youngsters."

A five-time Ballon d'Or award winner, Ronaldo recorded a whopping 701 goals and 223 assists in 949 club games while he was in Europe.

Since moving to Al-Nassr on a free transfer, the 39-year-old striker has bagged 50 goals and provided 14 assists in 57 overall appearances.