Giorgio Chiellini, Paul Scholes and more: When Cristiano Ronaldo named best XI of his teammates
In 2023, superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo named the best XI of his past teammates and included luminaries like Giorgio Chiellini and Paul Scholes. The Portuguese star played with the iconic duo at Juventus and Manchester United, respectively, and they featured in his list as the best in their positions he has played with.
Speaking with GOAL Arabia at the time, the legendary forward named a team of Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Giorgio Chiellini, Rio Ferdinand, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Paul Scholes, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Wayne Rooney in his XI of best teammates
Ronaldo played alongside Casillas, Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Bale, and Benzema at Real Madrid, where he scored a fabulous 450 goals and provided 131 assists in 438 games. Paul Scholes, Rooney, and Ferdinand are the inclusions from his 145 goals and 64 assists from 346 appearances across two stints for Manchester United.
Giorgio Chiellini is the only inclusion from his time in Turin with Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo played alongside the Italian defender 55 times and was assisted two times by the Euro 2020 winner.
Giorgio Chiellini says that 'it was an honor' to captain Cristiano Ronaldo
Giorgio Chiellini once revealed that it was an honor to captain Cristiano Ronaldo during their time together at Juventus. The duo played together for three seasons and won two Serie A titles and one Copa Italia.
Ronaldo played a total of 134 games for the Italian giants and scored 101 goals while providing 20 assists in those games. He joined the club in 2018 for €117 million from Real Madrid.
Reflecting on his time with the superstar in Turin, Chiellini told BSMT via The All Football app earlier this year:
"His personality during difficult times impressed me. The first year he wanted to shake the world and show that he was stronger than all of Real Madrid. In the following years the level dropped a little and as he was older he could no longer carry the team alone. He was the icing on the cake, but he needed a bigger cake."
The Italian concluded, saying:
“I could appreciate him. He is a 'multinational' player, but he fit well into the group. He is not like the others, he cannot be. You can't ask him to have a snack in the city centre, but he never failed when necessary. Not at team dinners either. He is respectful, almost obsessive in taking care of his body and in preparing it. He wants to score and win. It was an honor to be his captain at Juventus and to live every day with a champion like him."
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play football professionally and currently represents AL-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He has scored 63 goals and provided 17 assists in 70 games for the side at 39 years old.