Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has shared his thoughts on how best to handle Portugal’s football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest attackers in football history, has scored 910 career goals, holding the record for the most official goals, surpassing Josef Bican.
Pay Attention: Get the best tips from our Bet of the Day
Troost-Ekong shares his experience handling Cristiano Ronaldo
Reflecting on his experiences defending against Ronaldo during his time at Udinese in Serie A and later with Watford in the Premier League, Troost-Ekong revealed how he managed to cope with facing the prolific goal scorer.
“I had the pleasure of playing against him in Italy when he was playing for Juventus and I was at Udinese,” Ekong told talkSPORT.
”He was an out-and-out number nine at that point,” Troost-Ekong explained. “Even when we play three at the back and sometimes get pinned down to five, he only needs about half a meter, and he will try and get a shot off.”
The Nigerian defender also recalled Watford’s 4-1 win over Manchester United, where Ronaldo featured. Reflecting on how to handle the Portuguese star, he admitted that getting physical might be the best approach.
“No, I don’t think he’s fazed by anyone else. I wouldn’t try to have a conversation with him. I think I will just try to be all over him irrationally,” he said. “From the time we played against him, I think if you just get a bit physical with him and you’re not under his presence, that’s something that can throw him off his game.”
Troost-Ekong will face Ronaldo again this season, having moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood. It will be interesting to see the attacker and defender square off once more.
Meanwhile, Troost-Ekong, in the same interview, gave a reflective opinion on the age-long argument between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on who was the better player.
