"Opponent begged me to stop dribbling" - When Cristiano Ronaldo revealed the one team he'd never swap jerseys with
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo once said that he would never swap jerseys with AS Roma players. The 39-year-old pointed to how the team responded back in 2007, when his Manchester United side were beating the Giallorossi 6-0 in the Champions League.
Despite taking the lead with a 2-1 win in the first leg of the quarter-finals, the Italian side were demolished on their return, with the Portuguese superstar knocking in two goals.
Later, in 2018, he revealed that some members of the team had begged him to stop from inflicting further damage, while others threatened to injure him. Speaking to the Daily Express, he said:
“When it was 6-0, they asked me to stop, an opponent begged me to stop dribbling.
“Others threatened to hurt me. Roma? There is no player with whom I would exchange a shirt.”
Later, it was confimed by Tribuna that Ronaldo never exchanged jerseys with anyone from the team during his stint in Italy with Juventus. Over his career, he has enjoyed a particularly fruitful time against the side, winning nine of his 12 clashes against them while losing twice. In those games, he has collected 10 goals and two assists.
Liverpool star backed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as Saudi Pro League's top star should he make the move
Former Manchester United attacker Lee Sharpe has suggested that Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah could become the biggest player in the Saudi Pro League. The ex-Red Devil suggested that he could take over from Cristiano Ronaldo as the biggest draw in the competition.
Sharpe said (via Racing Tipster):
"I can only imagine Mohamed Salah would go to Saudi Arabia, as I don’t think anyone else will be able to afford him. There’s also nowhere else he could go in Europe that’s a bigger club, with a bigger fanbase, crowd and atmosphere than he has at Liverpool – he’s not going to go to Manchester United, that’s for sure! He’ll likely just want to secure his future and have an easier life in Saudi. If he did go there, he’d be the biggest player in the Saudi Pro League – he’s still young and fit enough to dominate. We see Cristiano Ronaldo doing well over there, but I think Salah is a better player and a bigger name than him these days.”
Salah is currently in the final year of his deal with the Reds and has admitted that a move away from Anfield is likely. He was reportedly courted by the Saudi Pro League in previous transfer windows.
Ronaldo created a major shift in the footballing world, being the first top star to make the move in December 2022. Other icons in European football including Karim Benzema, Neymar and N'Golo Kante have also made the move but the addition of Salah could be a game-changer for the league.
