Achi news desk-
England football coach and former player Ashley Cole has singled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese as the toughest opponent he faced during his career after being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Goal.com reported that the Premier League on Monday announced that former Arsenal and Chelsea player Cole would be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2024.
Describing Ronaldo, Cole said the Al-Nassr forward was a “complete footballer”.
He also recalled that the former ManU player adapted quickly to English top tier football after coming from Sporting CP.
The former player also said he remembers Ronaldo giving him “nightmares on the pitch”.
“Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and I have had great battles and we have mutual respect,” said Cole.
“He came to the Premier League as a little unknown, but he quickly understood what it took to be a first class player. He was willing to learn and adapt. He wanted to be the best player in the world and he became a machine.”
“He had everything. He could dribble, he could sprint after it, he could jump and jump and head a ball, he could go in, he could go out,” he said.
“So I say that he always gives me nightmares, but you try to work together 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].”
