Giorgio Chiellini recalled the strengths of Cristiano Ronaldo and noted that with his team’s support ‘he’ll get the goal’.
The 37-year-old Portuguese star was decisive for Manchester United yesterday, scoring a hattrick as the Red Devils picked up an important 3-2 win over Antonio Conte’s Tottenham at Old Trafford. This season he has scored 18 goals in 31 matches across all competitions.
Speaking to The Times, Chiellini discussed the quality of Ronaldo and noted how he cannot do everything alone, despite his abilities.
“Cristiano and Messi are aliens. Not from the herd. I was lucky enough to play with Cristiano at Juventus for three years and seeing him day by day, you understand some of his secrets.
“He works every day to achieve his goals, and finds new goals all the time. In the big moments, when you need him, he is there.
“In the end, he’s just a single player. If Cristiano is in a team that supports him and plays better than the other, you can be sure he’ll get the goal.”
Chiellini also spoke highly of Paul Pogba, who spent four years at Juventus before returning to Manchester United in 2016.
“Pogba is the LeBron James of football. Really, when I see him growing up it’s fantastic. When I saw him that first week of training I said, what? He is not real!
“He was from Manchester United, so I expected to meet a good player but I also thought if he is not playing for United he cannot be a top one. But he was. He was different from the others and I’m sad that he is not showing completely what he is.
“He has done fantastic in many matches but has not been lucky, with injuries and for other reasons. He has not been able to show, continuously, all his skill.”
Ronaldo spent three years of his career with Juventus from 2018 to 2021, leaving in the final days of last summer’s transfer window. During his time in Turin, he scored 101 goals and provided 22 assists in 134 appearances across all competitions, but he could not help guide the team to the Champions League.
"I’m not aggressive. Now, the enemy is not an enemy, he’s a friend playing against me, and I understand that if I don’t lose my energy fighting, I’m more lucid and concentrate better."
Giorgio Chiellini reveals the art of his craft to @JNorthcroft https://t.co/J6EVMogIE3
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) March 13, 2022
Donkey