Not many players enjoyed playing against Cristiano Ronaldo but that is particularly true for Jimmy Bullard.
The former Wigan midfielder made 90 Premier League appearances during his career and faced some of the sports’ biggest names.
Now retired, Bullard is thankful he won’t ever have to play Ronaldo again though.
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Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Jimmy Bullard says Cristiano Ronaldo was a physical ‘alien’
A moment during Wigan’s Carabao Cup clash against Manchester United made Bullard realise just how physically capable the Portuguese winger was in his younger days.
Describing CR7 as an ‘alien’, Bullard revealed how the former Real Madrid Galatico’s ability to sprint “100mph” and then stop dead before going again left him stunned.
Speaking on the Bullard FC YouTube channel, Bullard recalled a moment in the match when he had planned to tackle Ronaldo, who was sprinting “full pelt” toward the touchline.
Unfortunately for the retired midfielder, Manchester United’s former Ballon d’Or winner had other ideas.
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Embarrassed in front of friends and family
Not only did Ronaldo evade Bullard’s challenge, but he was able to instantly stop, avoided momentum carrying him forward before pivoting and nutmegging him.
Ronaldo’s taunting skill couldn’t have come at a worse time for Bullard either. The former Wigan man was playing right in front of a large section of his friends and family, who had travelled to the game by coach, to see him in action.
“My dad was in that block. He’d got a coach load up; 30 of them on a coach, and I thought: ‘This will be great to put Ronaldo in the stands.’ — Not that I played like that [aggressively] but it’s a great opportunity to leave your mark on someone.
“[…] I do not know, to this day, how he stopped running that quick — you can’t do that without being an alien.”
Ronaldo’s fastest-ever recorded top speed was 34.62 km/h (21.5 mph), which he achieved during a EUROS 2020 match.