Rio Ferdinand recently revealed that he got a clip of Cristiano Ronaldo sent to Manchester United star Benjamin Sesko. He said that the Slovenian striker can learn from the Portuguese legend’s movement and finishing.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong at 40 and continues to score goals for Al-Nassr and Portugal. He scored an excellent goal in the Knights of Njad’s 2-0 win at Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on September 26. In the 35th minute, he burst into the box to get on the end of a cross and head it into the goal.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on Ronaldo’s longevity on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, saying:
“That consistency of putting yourself through it, day in day out, to maintain a certain level of excellence, is not an easy thing to do. And Cristiano’s done it better than anyone I’ve ever seen, in my lifetime. People say, ‘Oh, it’s great that he’s in Portugal and scoring, because he wouldn’t be able to do it anywhere else’.
“He’s doing it for Portugal, in the national team, against some of the best defenders in the world. So don’t tell me he can’t still do it in the Premier League. He was top goalscorer for Manchester United when he was there. He’d be doing this anywhere, still.”
Ferdinand then said that he got the clip of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal against Al-Ittihad sent to Benjamin Sesko, saying:
“I watched his goal against Al Ittihad when I was there, in Jeddah. His movement to get across the defender… there’s 25-year-olds still working out how to do that, who are still in the peak times of their career, who don’t do it, who don’t smell it, who don’t see it.
“This guy’s just got it, man. I sent a clip to someone I know at United to say, ‘Listen, we need to get [Benjamin] Sesko doing this’. Because Sesko, if he starts moving like that… he’s so big, he’s so mobile,” he added.
Manchester United signed Sesko for a reported fee of £74 million, including add-ons, from RB Leipzig in the summer. He has contributed two goals and one assist in 10 appearances for them.
Former Manchester United star snubs Cristiano Ronaldo for his 5-a-side team
In an interview on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Dimitar Berbatov built his 5-a-side team of his former teammates, without a goalkeeper. He picked four Manchester United icons but snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo.
Berbatov first picked Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand in defense. In midfield, he picked Paul Scholes and James Rodriguez. He had played with Rodriguez at AS Monaco, where they shared the pitch 13 times, combining for five goals.
In the attack, Berbatov picked Wayne Rooney over Cristiano Ronaldo, saying:
“I can say easily, Ronaldo, right? But, Ronaldo, for me, is on the big pitch, where he can express everything. In the small spaces, probably Wazza [Rooney] will be the best.”
Berbatov and Ronaldo shared the pitch 39 times for Manchester United, combining for five goals.
Edited by Aditya Singh
