“Whoever plays with Szczesny is the best” - Wojciech Szczesny’s old quotes on Cristiano Ronaldo resurface amid Al-Nassr transfer links
Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate Wojciech Szczesny could potentially rejoin the legendary Portuguese striker at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. His old quotes on Ronaldo have now resurfaced, as the pair could be teammates again after this summer.
The duo notably played for Juventus across three years. While Ronaldo later opted for a return to Manchester United, Szczesny stayed in Turin. The goalkeeper has made an impressive 252 appearances for the Bianconeri, where he has played since the 2017-18 season.
According to rumors (via Mirror), Juventus are working towards signing Michele di Gregorio as their next first-choice goalkeeper. This will see Szczesny lose his place in the starting lineup, which has raised interest from Saudi Arabia, with giants Al-Nassr reportedly in talks with the shot-stopper.
Szczesny's previous comments about Cristiano Ronaldo have resurfaced in the midst of these rumors, with the former Arsenal goalkeeper telling Przeglad Sportowy in 2021 (via Mirror):
"First Cristiano, now Lewandowski. Whoever plays with Szczesny is the best. They are both obsessed with work and I don't understand them both. I appreciate it, I respect it, I even like it, but it's not my cup of tea.
"I could have endured it for six days and then injured myself. They are both superhumanly ambitious and obsessed with reaching as high as possible. I think that, for example, when it comes to diet, Lewy is even more obsessive than Cristiano."
Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo has been playing with the likes of Aymeric Laporte and Sadio Mane at Al-Nassr. He has also seen a former teammate in Alex Telles join the club.
Bench Cristiano Ronaldo at EURO 2024: Arsenal legend tells Portugal
Arsenal legend Paul Merson has warned Portugal against starting Cristiano Ronaldo at the start of their journey in the EUROs this summer. The legendary Portuguese striker has had a brilliant season with Al-Nassr, scoring a stunning 35 goals in 31 league games.
He will be looking to take this remarkable goalscoring form into the EUROs, but Merson does not think he should be in the XI so quickly. The Arsenal legend questioned the level of Saudi football, stating on his Sportskeeda column:
"I would personally leave him [Cristiano Ronaldo] out of the first two league games and get qualification sorted before bringing him back for the final encounter. If he plays well, he can keep his spot and that's the right way to go about it as it's a massive jump for someone to come into the European championships after playing at such a lesser standard in Saudi."
Ronaldo will be looking to win the title with Portugal in what would be his sixth EUROs run.