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Every now and then, football witnesses players who are, simply put, special. Right from the very beginning of their careers, they would be destined for greatness and have that magical touch which sets them apart from their contemporaries. Cristiano Ronaldo is one such phenomenal player who defied the circumstances around him to reach the pinnacle of the game.
From being a wiry, talented teenager with great potential to one of the greatest to have played the game, Ronaldo has had quite an inspirational story. The Portuguese has come to be known for his commendable work ethic, discipline, and dedication to the game, apart from his obvious achievements on the pitch.
Ronaldo has seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, one European championship, and countless other laurels to his name. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is also the highest goalscorer in UCL history, amassing 130 strikes in Europe's premier competition.
The former Real Madrid legend remains an inspiration to many young footballers all over the world to date. Many players have spoken about their admiration for Ronaldo and how they've grown up trying to emulate their idol.
Here, we take a look at five wonderkids who grew up idolising Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Matthijs de Ligt | Juventus
Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt had a superb debut campaign in Turin after his move from AFC Ajax last summer. The centre-back joined the Bianconeri for a staggering €85.5m fee and has already shown why Juventus were happy to part ways with such an enormous price for the Dutchman.
The 21-year-old, who appeared nearly 40 times across all competitions for Juventus this year, admitted to being an admirer of the Portuguese since an early age. De Ligt went on to state that he wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo even while kicking a ball with his friends in his backyard.
Ronaldo also played a pivotal role in De Ligt opting to join Juventus over the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United. The former Ajax man explained;
"Recently, when I had dinner with some childhood friends, we 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. My first football shirt also belonged to him from that time."
De Ligt encountered his current teammate Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League 2019 final, and the pair were pictured conversing after the game. When asked about this moment later, the 21-year-old revealed that Ronaldo asked him to join Juventus, which was a request that started De Ligt.
Speaking on the incident after the Nations League final, the Dutch defender revealed;
"Ronaldo asked me to go to Juventus. I was surprised by his request, which is why I laughed. I didn't understand him at first."
De Ligt is set to play alongside his idol for a second successive year in 2020/21 as Ronaldo has confirmed his intentions to stay at the Allianz Stadium amidst transfer speculation.
#4 Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid
Joao Felix broke onto the scene at SL Benfica two years ago as the most exciting Portuguese youngster produced by the nation since Cristiano Ronaldo. There was an evident uniqueness about the teenager, who seemed to have an intelligence of the game that isn't normal for someone his age.
Atletico Madrid saw enough evidence of his potential despite a small sample size and made him one of the most expensive players in the world last summer. Los Rojiblancos chose Felix as Barcelona-bound Antoine Griezmann's successor and purchased the Benfica attacker for a fee of €126m in 2019.
Despite his relatively underwhelming debut campaign in the Spanish capital, there is little doubt over Felix's talent and potential to become an all-conquering superstar. Given his nationality and position, the comparisons to a young Ronaldo were inevitable — and it doesn't come as a surprise that Felix idolised his homeland's finest.
Speaking to Portuguese outlet Record on his idol, Felix explained;
"Cristiano [Ronaldo] is my childhood idol, he is an example in everything for me. I was still a child and he was already the best player in the world. He is unique. He is making football history. I loved it when he said I was a phenomenon. At 20 years old I tell you that I’m not scared by the thought of reaching his level. Even if it seems impossible."
Felix, who scored nine goals for Atleti across all competitions, would hope to make his presence felt in Madrid in the 2020/21 campaign.
Also read: 5 Active players with most assists in Europe
#3 Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund
Erling Haaland is fresh off a whirlwind season which saw him play for two clubs across over four competitions, breaking a host of records in the process. The Norwegian forward was in sumptuous form in the 2019/20 campaign, announcing himself to the world in as grand a manner as he could have imagined.
Haaland stole the show in the T-Mobile Bundesliga scoring a staggering 16 (!) league goals in just 11 starts for RB Salzburg. He continued his rich goalscoring form even after his winter move to Borussia Dortmund, where he managed 13 and set up a further two for the Germans.
Remarkably, although Dortmund didn't make it past the UCL round of 16, Haaland ended the tournament as the second-highest scorer with ten strikes to his name, only behind Robert Lewandowski.
The 20-year-old has, in the past, spoken of his admiration for the all-time highest UCL goalscorer, Ronaldo, on more than one occasion. Speaking on the former Manchester United legend, Haaland said;
"I would love to meet him [Cristiano Ronaldo] and tell him that I am a footballer thanks to him. For me, he was always a model."
On another occasion, Haaland revealed how he drew inspiration from the 35-year-old's mentality and approach to games. The Norwegian explained;
"You could just see it in Ronaldo’s face that 'today I’m the man' and 'today, I will score goals.' And that’s what he did. That’s what I like the best. How dedicated and hungry they are to succeed and to be the man in the moment."
Haaland would hope to replicate his surreal goalscoring feats in Germany as he prepares for his first full season with Dortmund.
#2 Marcus Rashford | Manchester United
Marcus Rashford has a unique edge over other players on this list as he had the fortune of meeting his idol at a very young age. Manchester born and bred, Rashford was part of United's academy from a very early age and was afforded the opportunity to interact with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney at Carrington.
The Englishman is a vastly different player to what the breathtaking Ronaldo was at his age. However, there are many facets of his game which have been modelled around that of Ronaldo's, particularly his free-kick technique. Speaking to United's official website on the Portuguese's influence, Rashford expressed;
"The thing that is a massive eye-opener for me now is I remember when he [Cristiano Ronaldo] first came his talent was arguably one of the biggest talents that we’ve seen at [Manchester] United for a long time. To have him and Wayne [Rooney] in the same team was amazing when you look back. But the way he’s sustained his career and even improved year on year is just amazing."
The Red Devils' 18-goal striker 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 he’s just gone up and up and up. For me, there is no bigger inspiration in football."
Rashford enjoyed a career-best campaign with Manchester United in 2019/20 and is all set to spearhead Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in the upcoming season.
#1 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe has the world at his feet. At the age of 21, he already has three league titles, a UCL final appearance, and a FIFA World Cup to his name, among a host of other individual honours.
Mbappe is already one of the most devastating attackers in world football, and has the time and potential to go on and become one of the greatest players of his generation.
The French star was simply unstoppable in the recent-concluded campaign as well, notching up 18 goals and five assists in just 20 Ligue 1 games. Mbappe was pivotal to PSG's UCL run as well, scoring and assisting a total of ten goals for the finalists.
The World Cup winner is a huge admirer of Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, back when Mbappe began to receive widespread coverage after his heroics with AS Monaco, there was a famous image that emerged of the young striker's bedroom which had Ronaldo's pictures all over the walls.
Speaking on his childhood idols, Mbappe unsurprisingly revealed that he looked up to his compatriot Zinedine Zidane and the Portuguese icon. The PSG star explained;
"My first idol was Zinedine Zidane for everything he achieved with the national team [France]. And then it was Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano has won so much and still continues to be a winner even after so much success. They have both left their mark in the history of the game and I want to leave my own chapter in the history books."
Mbappe would hope to put his UCL final heartbreak behind him as PSG's 2020/21 Ligue 1 campaign is set to begin shortly. The 21-year-old is also a well-documented Real Madrid target, and a move to the Santiago Bernabeu could help him follow the footsteps of both his childhood idols.
Also read: 5 Greatest career achievements of Cristiano Ronaldo
