"Teach the young pup there is life in the old dog" - Silvestre urges Cristiano Ronaldo to beat Erling Haaland and win the Golden Boot

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Premier League Golden Boot next season.

Despite playing for a poor Manchester United team, Ronaldo finished third in the English top-flight's Golden Boot race for the 2021-22 campaign. The Portuguese scored 18 goals and was beaten only by Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min, who both scored 23 times, to share the award.

Erling Haaland's arrival at Manchester City has seen many suggest that he could win the Golden Boot next season. The 21-year-old enters the fray, having scored a staggering 86 goals in just 89 matches across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.

It's also worth noting that Haaland will enjoy a break in the winter while the 2022 FIFA World Cup takes place as Norway have failed to qualify for the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, is likely to captain Portugal at the Qatar showpiece in what could be his final chance to lift the coveted trophy.

Silvestre, however, believes Ronaldo still has it in his tank to end the 2022-23 Premier League season as the top-scorer. The former Manchester United and Arsenal centre-back said (as quoted by the Express):

“Haaland to win the Golden Boot? I would rather see Cristiano win it. He was not far off last season with a dysfunctional team so if United works this season, why not? Teach the young pup there is life in the old dog!”

He added that Salah and Harry Kane also have a chance of winning the Golden Boot:

“With Harry Kane and Mo Salah we have the best strikers in the Premier League so whoever wins it will deserve it.”

Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane notably finished fourth on the goalscorers chart last season with 17 goals, just one behind Ronaldo.

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Cristiano Ronaldo remains a footballing marvel at 37 years of age

Despite turning 37 earlier this year, Cristiano Ronaldo remains a potent goalscorer for club and country. The forward scored 24 goals in 38 matches across all competitions for Manchester United in his first season back at Old Trafford last time around.

Ronaldo also holds the record for the most international goals by a men's footballer. The 37-year-old has netted 117 times in 188 appearances for Portugal. However, only seven of those have come at World Cups from 17 games, a tally he will look to improve in Qatar later this year.