Cristiano Ronaldo news: 'Ronaldo is the best in the world and very special to play against', says Eredivisie goalkeeper

What's the story?

Willem II goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther has lauded Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo as the best in the world and added that playing against the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is "something very special".

In case you didn't know

Wellenreuther had encountered Ronaldo twice during his time at Schalke. The German goalkeeper's former club locked horns with Real Madrid in the 2015 Champions League where they lost 2-0 in the first leg of their Round of 16 fixture at home and won 4-3 in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo has since won three Champions League titles with Los Blancos before moving to Serie A giants Juventus last summer.

In Italy, the Portuguese talisman helped the Old Lady to an inevitable Serie A title but failed to lead them to European success.

The heart of the matter

Wellenreuther considers the times he played against Ronaldo "very special" and has heaped praise on the Juventus star's ability to make powerful runs.

The goalkeeper said, "Playing against Cristiano Ronaldo was something very special. For me, he is the best player in the world. His runs and his power are incredible."

"Also in the games against me, you have unfortunately seen that he is freezing cold and always on the spot. Although I saved some balls off of him, in the end he scored twice."

The 23-year-old added, "Once you've played Champions League, you'll want to go there again someday. The Champions League is like a drug. So I hope that I can continue my hard work and that in the next few years there will be some more international games."

What's next?

After having lost the Dutch Cup to Ajax recently, Willem II will shift their focus to the Eredivisie where they are scheduled to face Den Haag later today.