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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has lauded Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol growing up.
Saka, 21, was writing for England's official website when he made the comments, saying:
“Growing up, my favourite player was Cristiano Ronaldo. Everyone used to do the same stance as him and the same celebrations. Of course it's difficult to model yourself on him because he's one of the best to ever play football and with his stature.”
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The Gunners winger has been in superb form this season, scoring five goals and contributing six assists in 20 appearances across competitions.
He has put the Gunners' long-running rivalry with Manchester United aside, revealing his admiration for Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, 37, is for many, one of the greatest players of all time.
He has won the Champions League trophy on five occasions, the Premier League three times, the La Liga title twice, and the Serie A title twice.
His records in football are astounding, he is the top goalscorer in club football with 701 goals in 949 appearances for the likes of United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.
The veteran striker is also the all-time leading goalscorer in international football, with 117 goals in 191 international caps for Portugal.
He won the UEFA European Championships with Selecao das Quinas in 2016 and has five Ballons d'Or to his name.
If Saka comes anywhere close to achieving Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance in world football, he will have had a hugely successful career.
The Arsenal winger is particularly awestruck by Ronaldo's style of play, adding:
“The way he can score headers. He can do a lot of stuff that is obviously difficult for others to do but he was definitely my role model growing up.”
Cristiano Ronaldo names Arsenal as the team other than Manchester United he wants to win the league
Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped massive praise on Arsenal, describing Mikel Arteta's side as a team he likes.
The Portuguese sat down with broadcaster Piers Morgan and touched on several subjects regarding his career.
Morgan asked him whether he would accept Arsenal winning the Premier League as they sit top with 12 wins, one draw, and one defeat in 14 games.
He replied:
“Manchester [United] first and if not, Arsenal is some team that I like to see play. I like the team, I like the coach. I think they have a good team. If Manchester United don’t win the Premier League, I will be happy if Arsenal."
Cristiano Ronaldo was a Manchester United player back then, but that is no longer the case after he and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
He is now a free agent and can talk to any side over a potential move.
