"He lives for goals" - AC Milan defender on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Sunday showdown
AC Milan defender Simon Kjaer has heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the Rossoneri's marquee Serie A clash against Juventus on Sunday at the Juventus Stadium.
Juventus and AC Milan are currently level on points, locked in a battle for the third UEFA Champions League spot, along with Atalanta. With four matches left in the league season, the Juventus-Milan clash could have implications on who finishes in the top three.
Ahead of the encounter with the deposed champions on Sunday, Simon Kjaer, during a conversation with Sky Sports Italia, heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo. Acknowledging the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kjaer said:
"It has always been a pleasure to play against him since the first time 11 or 12 years ago. He has changed a lot compared to before, but he has always been a champion and there’s no need to discuss it. He lives for goals. He can play a game a bit off, but if there’s a ball in the 90th minute, he does everything to score that goal. He is always there during the whole game, which is why he has always been at the top of football for the last 10 to 15 years."
Kjaer came up against Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the Serie A earlier this season. Juventus ran out 3-1 winners on that night, but Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't on the scoresheet.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the 2020-21 Serie A goalscoring charts
Despite Juventus's nine-year reign in Serie A coming to an end, as Antonio Conte's Inter Milan won the Scudetto this season, Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't let that affect his prolific goal-scoring form.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star is leading the 2020-21 Serie A goalscoring charts, with 27 goals in 30 appearances. Following him in second spot are Inter's Romelu Lukaku (21 goals in 33 appearances) and Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic (21 in 34).
Meanwhile, Kjaer's teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is AC Milan's top scorer of the league season, with 15 goals in 18 appearances.