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John Arne Riise has named James Milner as his toughest opponent choosing him over even Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Liverpool defender claimed that the Englishman was relentless and never gave the opponents any peace.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Riise stated that Miler was the hardest player to deal with on the pitch during his career. He explained that Ronaldo and Theo Walcott had their limitations as they did not like drop deep but that was not the case with the former Liverpool and Manchester City star. He said:
“I played left back, so obviously I met wingers, mostly, or full-backs. Milner, yeah, because, you know, the thing is, this in my head when I play left back, I was looking who I play against, if I play against James Miller as a right winger, I know this can be a challenge, because we’re going to run, both of us up and down, up and down, up and down if I play against a more offensive winger, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Theo Walcott, or someone I knew that they don’t like going backwards. So I can use my physical stamina to go both ways. But with Milner couldn’t do that."
"You know, he did an exceptional job that you don’t really see, but he was always there. So that’s why I mentioned because there’s lots of other players, but those top players doesn’t need attention, but the job they doing is so important for others to shine. Like, for example. It who played behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, or whoever, Ronaldo could do his job stay up there, because the right back was always there to give me the allowance, or the midfield player shuffles over to take Ronaldo’s place. But Milner was a player that I enjoyed playing is because we were a little bit similar to when it comes to running.”
Riise faced Milner 12 times in his career and came out victorious seven times, while losing five times. The ex-Liverpool star faced Cristiano Ronaldo nine times and won just twice, while losing six times.
Patrice Evra also named James Milner as a tougher opponent than Cristiano Ronaldo
Patrice Evra spoke to Rio Ferdinand on his Vibe With Five podcast in 2023 and stated that James Milner was harder to play against than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He stated that the Englishman was strong in every aspect and said via The Sun:
"The toughest player I have played against is James Milner. This guy frustrated me, he was so strong, going into the challenge, going into the air, tackling."
Patrice Evra faced James Milner 21 times in his career. The Frenchman came out victorious eight times, while losing seven times and drawing six games. The Englishman continues to play in the Premier League and is currently with Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Edited by S Chowdhury