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Cristiano Ronaldo named Chelsea legend Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he had faced in his career in 2016. The Portuguese superstar faced many challenging opponents during his career, but was most impressed by the Englishman.
The two regularly locked heads in the Premier League during CR7's first stint with Manchester United. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner faced Ashley Cole for the first time in the 2003/04 season, when the latter was with Arsenal.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who started out as a winger for the Red Devils, regularly clashed with Cole for club and country over the years. The two faced each other 14 times in total, with CR7 winning eight and losing three.
Speaking in 2016 to Coach Mag, as cited by Mirror, the Portuguese was full of praise for the English left-back.
"Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole. He does not give you a second to breathe. He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game," said Ronaldo.
The two faced off for the final time in Manchester United's 3-0 win over Chelsea at home the Premier League in January 2009.
What has Ashley Cole said about facing Cristiano Ronaldo?
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Ashley Cole has acknowledged that Cristiano Ronaldo used to give him nightmares. The English full-back enjoyed great success in his career, and is largely regarded as one of the best in his position to ever play for the Three Lions.
Speaking about squaring up against CR7, Cole insisted that they pushed each other to the limits of their capabilities.
"He was willing to learn and adapt. He wanted to be the best player in the world and became a machine. He had everything. He could dribble, he could sprint behind, he could leap and jump and head a ball, he could go inside, he could go outside," said Cole.
He continued:
"So I say he always gave me nightmares, but you try to work each other out and we got the best of each other at times. Whenever I hear his name or see his face, I always think of when he made me do the splits!"
Cristiano Ronaldo currently plies his trade with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, having moved to the Middle East in December 2022. The 40-year-old has scored 934 goals from 1277 games for club and country to date.
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Deepungsu Pandit
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