“He’s always concerned about the team” – Arsenal star makes honest admission about ‘best player in the world’ Cristiano Ronaldo

Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares has hailed Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo as the 'best player' in the world.

While speaking to Arsenal's official website, the 30-year-old pointed out that the European Championship triumph with Portugal in 2016 was a career-high moment for him. Cedric, who was 24 at the time, was a key part of Fernando Santos' Selecao side who defied the odds to win the Euros in 2016.

In the final, Portugal defeated hosts France 1-0 after extra time despite losing their star man Ronaldo to injury in the first half. Gunners full-back Cedric Soares claimed that Ronaldo is 'always concerned about the team'. He told the official Arsenal website:

“Cristiano knows the team is very important. He’s always concerned about the team. We do our job there to help him. We know if we play well, he will definitely do his job and we will end up winning. He has been the best player in the world so many times, so we need to support and help and do everything to keep going."

The Portuguese full-back revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo often asks his Portugal teammates to help him to deal with the 'attention' he gets. He continued:

“He’s used to the attention around him now, of course. Sometimes he asks us to help him. Maybe if we all go together to sign autographs, there won’t be so many people asking for him, as if he went by himself for example. Obviously, the people want him mainly but we can help him too.”

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Arsenal could have signed Cristiano Ronaldo before he joined Manchester United

Arsenal have missed out on several top players over the years, including Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar admitted in 2019 that he was close to joining the Gunners back in 2003 before making the move to Old Trafford.

It could have been a completely different story for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had he chosen to join the Gunners. To be fair, Arsenal had their best-ever season as they went unbeaten in the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season.

However, the Gunners experienced a gradual downward spiral after moving from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. Things might have been different if they had Cristiano Ronaldo on their books.