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The popularity of football is such that the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably two of the finest players to have graced the game, are revered by millions around the globe.
However, while growing up, many footballing icons had their own idols, who made them dream big and fueled their ambition to rise to the top.
On that note, let's have a look at the idols of five world-class football players (in no particular order).
#1 Sergio Ramos - Paolo Maldini, Franz Beckenbauer and Fernando Hierro
Widely regarded as one of the finest goalscoring defenders in the game at the moment, Sergio Ramos is a Real Madrid and Spain legend.
During his illustrious career for club and country, the 35-year-old has won all major titles like the FIFA World Cup, European Championships, Champions League and La Liga, to name a few.
Despite being a defender, Ramos has a commendable tally of over 100 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid, while he is also the most capped European player (180 appearances) in international football.
During a Twitter Q&A session with fans a few years ago, the veteran defender talked about his idols. Snubbing the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona, he said:
"The great centre backs through history: (Paolo) Maldini, Beckenbauer and, of course, (Fernando) Hierro."
All three players are legends in their own right. Paolo Maldini, a legendary one-club man, is regarded as one of the finest full-backs (later a centre-back) in the history of the game.
Franz Beckenbauer revolutionised the role of the libero (sweeper), captaining Germany to the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Fernando Hierro, another 'libero' in the Beckenbauer mould, is the most prolific goalscoring defender in Real Madrid's history.
#2 Luis Suarez - Gabriel Batistuta
Luis Suarez is one of the most prolific goalscoring centre-forwards of the 2010s decade.
After making his name at Dutch club Ajax, the Uruguayan landed on English shores and almost led Liverpool to their first English league title in more than two decades. His exploits at Anfield attracted the attention of Barcelona.
Arriving at Camp Nou in the summer of 2014, Suarez enjoyed the most prolific spell of his club career. Forming a devastating triumvirate with Lionel Messi and Neymar, he scored goals aplenty as Barcelona became the team to beat in Spain and abroad.
Following a rich haul of 195 goals in six seasons at Barcelona, the 34-year-old player landed at Atletico Madrid, where he hit the ground running, proving that his lean 2019-20 season was nothing but an aberration.
In an interview with SeJuegaEnCasa, Luis Suarez opened up about his idol while growing up. He took the name of Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta, saying:
"I tried to imitate him when I was a boy."
Batistuta enjoyed a prolific goal-scoring career, mostly in the Italian Serie A, where he scored more than 200 goals for three different clubs. The now 52-year-old former player also dazzled in Argentina colours, netting 54 goals.
#3 Karim Benzema - Ronaldo Nazario
After operating in the shadow of his illustrious teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for close to a decade, Karim Benzema has come into his own at Real Madrid since the departure of the Portuguese three years ago.
The 33-year-old impressively led from the front, registering 21 goals and eight assists as Los Blancos won the La Liga title in 2019-20. Continuing his goalscoring exploits this campaign, he has matched his 21-goal tally from last season as Real Madrid eye a successful title defence in a close title race.
The Frenchman, who has scored 277 goals in over 550 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid, revealed his idol on Movistar's Universo Valdano programme. He said:
"Ronaldo (Nazario) was my idol from a young age. I started watching football because of him. I looked at his movement and I tried to copy what he did. But there was no one like him, I looked up to him so much. Some players had his speed, but not the ball control and skill at the same time. People think he only scored goals, but he could do everything. Strikers need to know how to do a lot of things, not just score goals, and he was the perfect example."
Indeed, Ronaldo Nazario was a striker par excellence during his playing days. The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil was blessed with raw pace, power and clinical finishing ability.
The Brazilian inspired an entire generation of strikers and is revered by his peers, including Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
#4 Kylian Mbappe - Cristiano Ronaldo
Kylian Mbappe, widely regarded as one of the best young strikers in the game, has carved out a niche for himself with his prolific goalscoring exploits for PSG and France.
The 22-year-old has scored 127 times in only 167 games in all competitions for Ligue 1 giants PSG. Meanwhile, in France colours, he has netted 16 times, including a brace in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final as a teenager.
One of the hottest 'commodities' in world football at the moment, Mbappe has professed numerous times that he idolises a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Frenchman said in this regard in a recent interview:
“My first (idol) was (Zinedine) Zidane for everything he achieved with the national team. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo. He has won a lot and continues to be a winner even after so much success.”
#5 Lionel Messi - Pablo Aimar
Lionel Messi, one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game, has scored goals and won trophies galore during a glittering career.
The 33-year-old, who is Barcelona and Argentina's all-time top scorer with 670 and 71 goals respectively, has been a consistent performer for almost two decades.
Messi, whose game is often likened with that of his illustrious late compatriot Diego Maradona, idolises another Argentine, though - Pablo Aimar.
Messi, who has played only a handful of times with Aimar, said about his now-retired compatriot:
“Pablo Aimar was, and is, my idol. I really like to watch him play and I have followed his career since the beginning at River Plate.”
Aimar, in turn, has also spoken highly of Messi, saying:
“You watched him at 20 years old and you couldn’t distract for a second because he dribbled past four players in the blink of an eye. Now that he is older, maybe he doesn’t go past several rivals 10 times in a single game. He only does it twice or once. But the one who plays better football is today’s Messi. There are things I can’t measure in order to say he is the best player in history. Messi’s maturity amazes me. He is the total footballer.”
