Liverpool star Diogo Jota has admitted he grew up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo during his days at Manchester United.
This is hardly controversial considering Jota is Portuguese and Ronaldo is his country’s greatest ever player, and indeed one of the best the world has ever seen, but it’s not ideal for a Liverpool player to worship a Man Utd legend.
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Ronaldo first rose to prominence in his time at Old Trafford, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and other major honours with the Red Devils before going on to hit even greater heights with Real Madrid.
Jota discussed his admiration for Ronaldo in an interview with FourFourTwo, in which he also touched on his experiences growing up in Portuguese football, as well as other topics.
“Cristiano was my idol – I saw him playing at the highest level at Manchester United, winning the Ballon d’Or and other awards,” Jota said.
“Being Portuguese, I’ve always looked up to him as an example to follow.
“When I made my international debut against Lithuania in November 2019, I came on as a substitute for him, which made the moment more special for me. I can only be grateful to have the opportunity to share a dressing room with him.”
Jota and Ronaldo are now team-mates at international level and both players are likely to be key for Portugal’s hopes at Euro 2020.
Portugal were surprise winners of Euro 2016 and will hope to upset the favourites again this year, with Jota and co. in a very challenging group alongside France and Germany.