‘Growing up I always looked at Ronaldo’- Nigeria-elgible star praises Man Utd legend

The Portuguese star continues to inspire future generations with his performance on the pitch, even in his twilight age

Nigeria-eligible youngster Noni madueke has heaped praise on five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he sees the Portuguese record goalscorer as an inspiration.

The Nigeria-eligible forward spoke about how he had admired the 36-year-old Portuguese since his days at The PSV academy.

Growing up, I always looked at Ronaldo,” Madueke told the English media as reported by Voetbalzone.

“What he showed I found very inspiring and that he still plays at the top level shows that he still works hard every day.”

The 19-year old broke into the scene at PSV Eindhoven last season, scoring nine goals in 30 appearances for the Rood-Witten. He has continued in even better form this season, with six goals in just ten appearances.

Ronaldo continues to be an inspiration to various young talents, and it is not a surprise, as he has had an illustrious career.

On Tuesday, the former Sporting Lisbon man scored two goals for Portugal to solely hold the record as the highest goalscorer in men’s international football. The 36-year-old is a serial winner, and it’s no surprise that he has five Champions League trophies to his name.

Madueke also looks set for greatness as he has shown promise since he burst onto the scene at PSV. The forward’s ability to wriggle past defenders, create chances and score goals could cause reason to compare him with a younger version of Ronaldo.

Madueke is eligible to play for Nigeria because of his parents, but he plays for the England youth setup. However, he can still switch allegiances to Nigeria.