It might not surprise anyone to hear that playing against Cristiano Ronaldo is a tough task, but Barcelona legend Dani Alves gave an insight into lining up against him.
It was always interesting when Ronaldo played against Barcelona because he enjoyed a free role from left wing, but that was also the area that Dani Alves would bomb forward from.
There was no way that the Brazilian was going to curtail his attacking instincts, and it meant Ronaldo had joy more often that not against Real’s biggest rivals.
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Marca recently reported on an interview with Dani Alves where he spoke about the toughest opponent that he faced in his career, and it’s no surprise to hear that Ronaldo was the answer:
“He never made me really suffer because I was focused, but the most difficult opponent I’ve faced has been Cristiano Ronaldo, without any doubt.”
“He’s that type of opponent that you have to be 100 percent focused on, if you are at 99 percent he will ruin you and will make you look silly.”
“When I was with Guardiola, I think I made him suffer more than he did me.”
It’s interesting to hear Alves talk about how he usually got the better of Ronaldo when that wasn’t always the case, but it shows that he was capable of doing a job on him.
The Brazilian will be remembered for his attacking instincts and ability in the final third, but he was also an excellent defender when he needed to be.
It’s so common to see a game where a team has Ronaldo under control only for him to pounce on one mistake when they least expect it, so these comments do make a lot of sense.