Frenkie De Jong feels honoured to face Cristiano Ronaldo
What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus have been drawn against Ajax, who knocked out Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 1, and Dutch star Frenkie De Jong revealed his honour to face the Portuguese.
In case you didn't know
Juventus broke the bank to spend €112 million to buy Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. Barcelona, meanwhile, have agreed on a deal to sign Frenkie De Jong from Ajax in the summer.
The heart of the matter
While Real Madrid were knocked out by Ajax, Ronaldo led Juventus to an incredible comeback against Atletico Madrid. The former Real Madrid superstar scored a hat-trick against Diego Simeone's side as Juventus managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg. On the other hand, Real Madrid suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the young Ajax side at the Santiago Bernabeau.
The Juventus star has a brilliant record against Ajax as he has scored seven goals in just five matches against the Dutch giants. In the Champions League, he has scored more goals only against Bayern Munich (9) and current club Juventus (10).
Cristiano Ronaldo is the role model of many footballers. One of those is Frenkie De Jong, who is really excited to face the legend of the game. The Dutch midfielder commented on UEFA's site that Ronaldo was already one of the best players in the world when De Jong was growing up. He further added that he will feel honoured to face a player like Cristiano Ronaldo.
"When I was 10-12 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo was already one of the best players in the world. Now for me, it will be an honor to face him really face to face.” De Jong commented on UEFA site
What's next?
Ajax have been impressive in the UCL this season. But they face a stern test in the form of Cristiano, who is known as Mr. Champions League. De Jong and Ajax would have to be at the top of their game if they want to stop Ronaldo in quarterfinals