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Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the best players in the game's history. In a nearly two-decade-long illustrious career, Ronaldo has scored goals and won trophies galore for club and country.
The 36-year-old is the all-time top scorer in the Champions League and the European Championships. He is also the joint-most prolific scorer in international football and Real Madrid's all-time top scorer.
With over 300 million followers on Instagram, Ronaldo is the most-followed footballer on the social media platform. The Juventus and Portugal striker is also idolized by many in the football fraternity.
On that note, here's a look at five big-name players who idolize Cristiano Ronaldo:
#5 Harry Kane
England and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Englishman, who had a fruitful campaign for eventual finalists England at Euro 2020, asked for Ronaldo's jersey after a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur in 2017.
Kane said after the duo exchanged jerseys:
“I asked for his shirt. He's a big role model of mine, watching him when I was growing up. It's a nice shirt to get and frame. I gave him my shirt. I don't know what he'll do with it.”
Kane has been a prolific scorer for club and country over the years. But with no trophy to show on his resume so far, it remains to be seen if the Englishman will continue to remain at Spurs.
#4 Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt, touted as one of the best young defenders in the game, impressed against Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the 2018-19 Champions League quarter-finals.
The then Ajax captain took his team on a fairy-tale run to the last four and were seconds away from making the final before they fell short. A few months later, the Bianconeri landed De Ligt on a big-money move.
In an interview with Dutch magazine VI just before his transfer to Juventus, De Ligt revealed that he had been a fan of Ronaldo since the latter's Manchester United days, saying:
"Recently, when I had dinner with some childhood friends, ee came to the conclusion that I always wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo when we were playing football in the garden. That was especially in his time when he played at Manchester United."
De Ligt, who has now played two seasons with Ronaldo, continued:
“My first football shirt also belonged to him from that time. That dinner was just after the meetings with Juventus, in which I had to fight duels with the same Ronaldo.”
Both players have been linked with moves away from Turin this summer, but De Ligt and Ronaldo are expected to play at least another season together at Juventus.
#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."
