Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has named Cristiano Ronaldo as the best winger he has faced in his career. The Englishman named the Portuguese superstar as the player he would have liked to play with, but named Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as the best player he faced.
In a quickfire round with TNT Sports, Cole was quick to name Ronaldo as the player he would have liked to play with, after saying that he was the best winger he has faced in his career. It was not the first time he heaped praise on the former Manchester United forward, as he revealed that the winger gave him nightmares and told the Premier League website (via GOAL):
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“Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and I had some mighty battles and we have a mutual respect for each other. He came to the Premier League as a little bit of an unknown, but he soon understood what it took to be a top player. He was willing to learn and adapt. He wanted to be the best player in the world and became a machine.”
“He had everything. He could dribble, he could sprint behind, he could leap and jump and head a ball, he could go inside, he could go outside. So I say he always gave me nightmares, but you try to work each other out and we got the best of each other at times. Whenever I hear his name or see his face, I always think of when he made me do the splits! [in 2003/04, Ronaldo’s first Premier League season]”
However, Cole named Gerrard as the best player he has faced in his career. The Liverpool legend has been praised by several other legends of the game, and the former English defender is the latest to join the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo named Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he faced
Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to Coach Mag in 2016 and named Chelsea legend Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he has faced in his career. The Portuguese superstar said that the Englishman never gave him any time to breathe and it was always hard to face the left-back. He said (via Sky Sports)
“Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole, he does not give you a second to breathe. He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game.”
Cristiano Ronaldo faced Ashley Cole 14 times in his career, winning eight games and losing three times.
Edited by Sripad
