"Yes, he is obviously old, but he's a role model for me" - 22-year-old striker on replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal national team
Portugal U-21 striker Fabio Silva reckons he can handle the responsibility of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team due to the latter's age. He also admitted that he hopes to play alongside Ronaldo before the 39-year-old calls time on his international career.
Silva is yet to make his debut for the Portugal national team despite flourishing for the U-21s. The 22-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 23 appearances across all competitions for the Portugal U-21 side and will hope to be called up to the senior team by Roberto Martinez in the near future.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers star was recently asked if he could take the responsibility of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team. Silva replied (via @TheNassrZone):
“Yes, he is obviously old, but he is still a role model for me and I hope he continues to play many matches with the national team and that I will be called up to the first team before he leaves. Playing with him is a dream for me.”
Martinez opted not to include Fabio Silva in his 26-man squad for Portugal's upcoming Nations League fixtures, instead trusting Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota to lead the line for his team.
It would be a massive task for Fabio Silva to replace Ronaldo as the latter is the leading international goalscorer of all time. The Al-Nassr ace has garnered 132 goals and 45 assists in 214 appearances in total, helping his country win two trophies.
"His power and physicality made him my nightmare" - Leonardo Bonucci snubs Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi; names the toughest opponent he faced in his career
Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci has admitted that Duvan Zapata was a tougher opponent for him on the field compared to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Didier Drogba.
Bonucci - who retired from the game at the end of last season - has faced off against some of the best players in world football. He even played alongside Ronaldo at the Old Lady between 2018 and 2021.
He recently told Sky Calcio Club (via GOAL):
"The one that hit me the most and the one I had more fun with was Luis Suarez because he hit and got hit without any problem. My nightmare, who didn’t make me sleep at night, was Zapata. God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep at night. His power and physicality made him my nightmare. Then, I was lucky enough to play against so many champions. [Didier] Drogba, Ronaldo, Messi, [Fernando] Torres, and I forget others, but it was too good."
Bonucci and Zapata went against each other 14 times, with the latter scoring six goals against the Italian legend.
Zapata has plied his trade in Serie A for the past 11 seasons, representing Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria, Atalanta, and Torino. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old recently suffered an ACL injury, sidelining him for the rest of the season.