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#3 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford is another big-name player who idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo. The young Manchester United striker has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent times.
Coming on as a late substitute in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, Rashford struck the woodwork in the shootout. The Englishman was later subjected to a torrent of racist abuse, with his murals defaced.
The 23-year-old, who failed to score in five games at the tournament, said of Ronaldo in 2018:
“The thing that is a massive eye-opener for me now is I remember when he (Ronaldo) first came, his talent was arguably one of the biggest we’ve seen at United for a long time. But the way he has sustained his career and even improved year on year is just amazing."
Rashford continued:
“People don’t do that at his age, people are usually heading towards the end of their career and their level starts going down a little bit, but his has just gone up and up and up. For me there is no bigger inspiration in football.
#2 Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is one of the hottest young properties in world football, scoring goals galore since announcing his arrival in the 2019-20 Champions League.
The 20-year-old striker said in an interview earlier this year that Cristiano Ronaldo was the reason he took to football, and that the Portuguese had always been a 'role model' for him.
"I would love to meet him and tell him that I am a footballer thanks to him. For me, he was always a role model," said Haaland.
Haaland has been tipped for a big-money move this summer, so it remains to be seen if the young Norwegian gets to play alongside his idol in the near future.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is one of the best young strikers in the game at the moment. The 22-year-old may have endured a lean outing at Euro 2020, missing his penalty in France's Round-of-16 shootout defeat to Switzerland.
But Mbappe has been a stellar performer for club and country, winning four league titles and the FIFA World Cup. The young Frenchman has idolized Cristiano Ronaldo since his childhood, festooning the walls of his room with pictures of the Portuguese.
After a Nations League meeting between France and Portugal last year, Mbappe shared pics of Ronaldo with the word 'idol', which said it all.
Following the game, France manager Didier Deschamps said of Mbappe:
"He (Ronaldo) was his idol (growing up). But I think that Cristiano was and is the idol of many young football players. It's difficult to compare them. Cristiano has been playing for many years at the highest level. They aren't the same age. I think it will be better to make a comparison when Kylian will be as old as Cristiano is now."
