Brazil’s football icon, Ronaldinho has said that he was honoured to be hailed as an influence to a new generation of stars like Nigerian-born British player, Dele Alli and French player, Paul Pogha.
A host of the game’s leading youngsters named the former Barcelona and Brazil trickster as their hero while they were growing up, among who were Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling, Thiago Alcantara, Gabriel Jesus, Willian, Neymar and Alli.
Tottenham Hotspurs’ 20-year-old talent, Alli, scored in stunning style at Crystal Palace last season, flicking the ball over Mile Jedinak’s head before lashing it into the net. And, speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, the Samba icon, admits it was the type of goal he would love to score himself.
He said, “I saw Alli’s goal last year and it looked like a goal I would like to score – there is just no explanation for goals like that. It’s thrilling to inspire someone to score such a great goal; I can barely put it into words.
“It’s very emotional for me to inspire world-class players – people like Pogba and Sterling, they are already among the best and it’s great to see them scoring the goals that make people love the sport even more.”
Ronaldinho also reveals that he ranks Wayne Rooney among his favourite English players, having faced the Three Lions’ forward in a 2013 friendly at Wembley.
The England all-time top scorer recently achieved the same feat at club level, netting his 250th Manchester United goal at Stoke City to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton’s record.
“Among the English, I still like Wayne Rooney. He has skill, shoots well and protects the ball. He is steady – never on the ground. I have always liked his style,” Ronaldinho said.
