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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka once revealed his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo. The England international claimed he wanted to emulate the Portuguese legend's career and the impact he has had on the clubs he has played for.
Saka came through Arsenal's youth set-up and made his first team bow in 2019. He has established himself as one of the best wingers in Europe and a marquee player for the Gunners under Mikel Arteta.
Saka has made 234 first-team appearances across competitions for the Emirates outfit, scoring 59 goals and providing 58 assists. The 23-year-old has displayed exceptional form over the last two seasons, helping the north London giants challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Saka was awarded the No. 7 jersey four years ago and has donned the shirt ever since. In an interview with Stadium Astro in 2021, Saka was asked about the significance of that number.
The English attacker attributed it to Cristiano Ronaldo, revealing that the Real Madrid legend was his childhood idol. He said:
“Cristiano Ronaldo was my idol growing up. He wore—still wears—the number 7. He’s CR7. It was a dream come true for me to be given the number 7, and I’m trying to achieve some of the things he’s done, especially for my club.”
“With the 7, I’m going to try to accomplish big things with this club because they showed a lot of faith in me by giving me that number, considering all the legends who’ve worn it before me,” Saka added.
In a recent quickfire Q&A with Amazon Prime Video Sport, Saka again named Ronaldo as his favorite player growing up (via Bolavip). The Al-Nassr superstar has played for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims Cristiano Ronaldo would outscore Erling Haaland if he joined Manchester City
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Cristiano Ronaldo would score more goals than Erling Haaland if he were at Manchester City.
The Red Devils re-signed Ronaldo from Juventus in 2021, a return many United fans were ecstatic about before things turned sour. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had an excellent campaign in the 2021-22 season, scoring 24 goals, before falling out with the club's hierarchy and departing the following campaign.
Speaking about Ronaldo's second stint at Old Trafford, Solskjaer said:
"He'd probably score more than Erling Haaland is doing at the moment [for Manchester City]. So I speak to Cristiano, we get him to Manchester United but I think maybe that effected the whole dressing room, the dynamics in the dressing room."
Ronaldo has made seven appearances across competitions for Al-Nassr this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists. Haaland, meanwhile, has scored 10 goals in six Premier League games in the current campaign.
