Dani Alves has named Cristiano Ronaldo as the toughest opponent he is ever performed in opposition to, singing his praises in a brand new interview.
Alves tussled with Ronaldo for a number of years throughout his illustrious first spell at Barcelona the place he received six La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns, amongst numerous different honours and accolades.
Establishing himself as one of many best full backs within the sport’s historical past, Alves has shared the pitch with loads of soccer’s largest stars and needed to defend in opposition to some unbelievable gamers.
Now plying his commerce in Mexico with Pumas UNAM, the 39-year-old sat down with ESPN journalist Hugo Sanchez, and when requested who the toughest opponent he had confronted was, he picked Ronaldo.
“This b*****d doesn’t let you breathe for a second. I didn’t do too badly, but it’s difficult.
“He’s a scoring machine,” he added, paying tribute to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner who tore up La Liga for Real Madrid while Alves played with Lionel Messi for Barcelona.
Ronaldo is currently Real’s all-time top scorer having bagged 450 times in all competitions for the club before leaving in 2018, following an incredible near decade-long rivalry with Messi in the Spanish top flight.
His rampant goalscoring for club and country has established him as one of the game’s greatest players, breaking the record for most goals scored at men’s international level in 2021.