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Chelsea winger Noni Madueke once opened up about footballing icons who shaped his style and ambition, naming Cristiano Ronaldo as his most significant inspiration. He added that he tried to emulate Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe.
Cristiano Ronaldo's influence on young players around the world is no surprise. With his relentless work ethic, flair, and unmatched goal-scoring record, Ronaldo has become a global symbol of excellence in football.
In an exclusive interview with ESPN in 2024, Madueke said:
"The main [inspiration] of course was [Cristiano] Ronaldo, that's probably when I was a bit younger, but Mbappé, Vinicius Jr., I watch those type of players and try and take bits from their game. Arjen Robben [too]. They are decisive. They win games on their own and they entertain crowds. That's what I like to do as well."
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Noni Madueke joined Chelsea from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in 2023. He was quickly drafted into the first team at Stamford Bridge under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino. To date, he has scored 20 goals and provided nine assists for the West London club in 83 appearances across competitions.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, currently plies his trade outside Europe with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Despite being past his prime, the 40-year-old has continued to strut his stuff in the Middle East. He is leading the way in the goalscoring chart in the Saudi top flight this season.
"It would be more like a marketing" – Chelsea told why signing Cristiano Ronaldo makes no sense
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda believes that it will be a wrong move for the Blues to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The revamped Club World Cup will kick off in June, and Malouda suggested that a potential move by Chelsea to sign the Portuguese superstar for the competition would not make sense from a sporting perspective.
The current FIFA rules will allow teams participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup to sign players without long-term contracts. As such, the Blues can theoretically take Cristiano Ronaldo along with them to the United States.
When asked if Chelsea should sign Ronaldo for the Club World Cup, Malouda told Racing Tipster in an exclusive interview
"I remember when the owners took over, they were assessing the possibility of signing him. It would be more like a marketing and media coup than really in terms of sports logic, something that makes sense for the team.
"It would be difficult to integrate him into the team, it would put pressure on the manager. It depends if you’re looking at other metrics, or if you want to help the team in the long term, and to keep stability in the squad."
The Blues qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup following their Champions League triumph in 2021.
