Regardless of one’s own preferences, Cristiano Ronaldo is among the greatest goal scorers in football history based on statistics. He previously stated that he would never trade his shirt with any player from the same team at the conclusion of a game.
The Portuguese line-leader, who is 40 years old now but is considered one of the top attackers in international football despite his youth, is aiming for 1,000 goals before he eventually hangs up his boots and retires.
It’s only natural for players to ask for his shirt when they encounter such greatness. Asking for the seasoned forward’s shirt has become routine, especially for the young up-and-coming players whose dreams are coming true when they play Ronaldo.
Ronaldo wouldn’t trade shirts with any other team, and surprisingly, it’s neither Barcelona or Liverpool.
As a football legend of the highest caliber, there were plenty of clubs that gave him stick for frightening their defenders, despite the fact that one would immediately expect it would be Liverpool or Barcelona, his two primary opponents during his career.
When Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United in England in 2007, he was becoming one of the best players in the world and claiming to be one of the most valuable players in the Champions League.
The Ronaldo-inspired Red Devils frequently faced AS Roma at Europe’s top table, and a 2007 encounter between the two European powerhouses sparked his developing distaste for the team that frequently competed in Italy’s top division.
Eighteen years ago, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team had a one-goal deficit to overcome going into the second leg, which was nicely poised in front of a boisterous Old Trafford crowd. They accomplished this with a thrilling 7-1 triumph over the Italians. View the highlights below:
Ronaldo was unplayable at times and scored twice for the right-hand side of the midfield four. In 2018, he recounted that incident to the Daily Express and gave an explanation for why he would never trade jerseys with a member of the Rome-based team.
They asked me to stop when the score was 6-0. I was urged to cease dribbling by an opponent. I was threatened by others. Roma? I wouldn’t trade shirts with any of the players.
Ronaldo chose to take on a fresh challenge in Italy after a distinguished period as Real Madrid’s go-to man. He chose Juventus, and because the two teams were in the same level, they met more frequently.
Ronaldo, who was born in Madeira, has played against AS Roma a lot—12 times, to be exact—but his career is far from over. He has amassed 10 goal involvements over that time (nine goals and one assist). He has only lost twice to them in that period.
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