Former Manchester United star claims he'd be 'among the best in the world' if he had 5% of Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality

Former Manchester United midfielder Anderson has revealed that he would be among the best players in the world should he have had Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality.

The 2008 Golden Ball winner revealed this during an interview ahead of his former club's crunch Europa League clash against Barcelona.

Anderson was privileged to play against the Spanish giants in two UEFA Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011. On both occasions, he unfortunately ended up on the losing side.

Ahead of the UEFA Europa League second-leg clash between United and Barca later today (February 23), Anderson has reflected on some of the mistakes he made as a player.

The former Brazil international was quick to state that he regrets not being a lot more professional during his playing career.

He also added that he would have been one of the best players in the world if he had 'five percent' of the mentality of former teammate Ronaldo.

Anderson was regarded as one of the most-promising youngsters during his time at Manchester United. However, he wasn't able to live up to his full potential at Old Trafford. He said:

“If I had had 5% of the mentality of Cristiano Ronaldo, I could have been among the best in the world.”

He continued:

“I assume it now. I had talent and quality. With a little more head… I had a nice career because I won a lot of things, but I could have gone much further. You have to be honest. With 5% of Cristiano… I would still play at the first level now, easily”.

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"I regret not having been a little professional" - former Manchester United reflects on his playing career

Anderson has spoken about a few regrets during his playing career, which was summed up with a lot of "if" and "buts".

The former Porto midfielder was dubbed football's "next big-thing" after winning the prestigious Golden Ball award in 2008. He, however, wasn't able to live up to the hype during his playing career.

Anderson, who was at Manchester United between 2007-2015, revealed that he wished he was more professional during his career. He said:

“I regret not having been a little professional, of not having listened to the people who recommended me and spoke to me. Rafael tells the truth, I can’t be a hypocrite. If I had been more focused on football… I had plenty of quality.

He continued:

"My head didn’t help. Over time, you realize things. Football has changed, before it was more difficult, now it’s easy. Things cchange today, any very physical player who knows how to run a lot is worth it. He doesn’t have to think as much.”

After leaving Manchester United, he went on to play for clubs like Fiorentina and Internacional before retiring at the age of 31 in 2020.