"I want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo" - Premier League-linked striker says he wants to emulate Al-Nassr superstar

Adama Bojang, who has reportedly been linked with two Premier League clubs, has revealed his admiration for Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 18-year-old recently made a name for himself after helping The Gambia's U20 team reach the final of the 2023 U-20 AFCON in Egypt. They fell at the final hurdle and lost 2-0 to Senegal's U20 team as Bojang ended the tournament with four goals to his name.

The last of those came in The Gambia's 1-0 semifinal win against Nigeria following his hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of South Sudan in the quarterfinals. Bojang recently named Cristiano Ronaldo as his favorite big-name player.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has won everything there is to win in club football and has 712 goals in 961 club games across his career. There aren't many better examples to follow than the Portuguese icon when it comes to hard work, fitness and perseverance on the pitch.

Bojang, who has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Olympique de Marseille, waxed lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo and told BBC Sport Africa:

"I want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo. Because he's my favourite when it comes to the big name players. I've been watching his videos on YouTube after games. He posts his workout there so sometimes I try to watch those and motivate myself through that."

Ronaldo is at the dusk of his playing career but is still going strong for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he is the Riyadh-based side's captain. The 38-year-old has managed an impressive tally of 11 goals and two assists in 12 games across competitions for his new club.

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Cristiano Ronaldo ineffective as Al-Nassr lose pace in title race

Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure on the pitch against Al-Feiha on April 9 as Al-Nassr fell further behind in the Saudi Pro League title race.

The former Real Madrid forward managed to get just one out of his four shots on target, completed no dribbles and created no chances for his teammates. He played the full 90 minutes of the 0-0 draw in Al Majma'ah and was the subject of a post-match dig from the hosts' official Twitter handle.

The draw meant Al-Nassr remained second in the league table with 53 points from 23 games. Al-Ittihad beat Al-Wehda 2-1 the following day to extend their lead at the top of the table to three points.

Many have backed Ronaldo to join an elite club of footballers who have won league titles in four different countries. However, with just seven games remaining in the league this season, Al-Nassr know they have no room for error if they want to pip Al-Ittihad to the title.