close
Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri has revealed that he idolizes Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The English teenager said he would like to swap lives with the 40-year-old superstar for a day just to 'see what it's like' to be him.
Over the past two decades, Ronaldo dominated European football at the highest level. Playing for top sides like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, he racked up an eye-watering 696 goals and 217 assists in 918 appearances, while winning five Ballon d'Or titles.
Since January 2023, he has plied his trade for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. Despite having turned 40 in February, he is still going strong with 33 goals and four assists in 39 appearances this season.
His exploits on the field and his personality off it have inspired an entire generation of footballers to follow in his footsteps, including Nwaneri. In a recent video on Dazed's social channels, the 18-year-old was asked:
"If you could swap bodies with any celebrity for a day, who would you pick and why?"
He replied:
"Ronaldo. That's my idol! I'd just go throughout my day and just be him. Maybe I'd just go into the streets and see what it's like."
Due to injuries to key first-team forwards like Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, the English youngster has become a regular feature for Arsenal in the 2024-25 campaign. He has enjoyed a stellar campaign thus far, with nine goals and two assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.
Ethan Nwaneri isn't the only Arsenal youngster who idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo
Besides Ethan Nwaneri, a couple of young Arsenal stars have also claimed that they look up to Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
In an appearance on the Men In Blazers podcast in May 2024, English sensation Bukayo Saka claimed that he idolized the Portugal captain in his younger years. The 23-year-old said (via GOAL):
"Personally I can't (imagine playing for as long as Ronaldo), and that's why I have so much respect for him. Obviously, when I was younger, he was my idol, but now that I'm playing football professionally, I have even more respect for him, how he's managed to stay this disciplined and this focused and achieve everything he's achieved, so yeah he's special."
Arsenal's Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli also called the Portuguese marksman his hero in an interview with the club's website in May 2023. He said (via Daily Mail):
"If you were talking about footballers, the person I looked up to was always Cristiano Ronaldo. I used to watch him a lot when I was growing up."
Up next, Martinelli, Saka, and Nwaneri will be seen in action in Arsenal's Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on Sunday (May 18).
Why did you not like this content?
Cancel Submit
Was this article helpful?
like selected
avatar selected
Thank You for feedback
About the author
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,
Aaryan Nagraj
Aaryan has been covering European football at Sportskeeda since the start of 2024. He is pursuing an integrated M.Sc. degree in Chemistry at NIT Rourkela, and tends to rely on his proclivity for numbers and statistics for his content, making the most of websites like Transfermarkt and FotMob. He is also a district level basketball and table tennis player.
A Borussia Dortmund fan, Aaryan had his first tryst with football during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite his young mind being influenced by Lionel Messi's exploits, his favorite World Cup moment is Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free-kick against Spain from the 2018 version. He strongly believes that Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz can replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their respective potentials.
Aaryan, who has been on commentary panels for football and cricket tournaments at his university, is a huge admirer of Achraf Hakimi for the Moroccan's loan stint in Dortmund between 2018 and 2020. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who impressed him with his excellent tactical nous and benignant man-management skills.
When he is not scouring the internet for unique statistics, Aaryan follows the Indian Super League, the A-League, and the Saudi Pro League among others. He is an avid quizzer and debater, and a trained classical and western musician who likes to rock out for his college band, Euphony, as lead vocalist and guitarist.
Know More
Quick Links
More from Sportskeeda
Edited by Parag Jain