I faced Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, and he would wink as he dribbled past me.
Cristiano Ronaldo would grin at Micah Richards whenever the former Manchester United star dribbled past him, according to Micah Richards.
Richards competed against Ronaldo four times during his early tenure at Manchester City, prior to the superstar’s transfer to Real Madrid. All of their Premier League matches were won by Ronaldo, who scored twice and provided one assist.
The Portugal captain is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport due to his fearsome dribbling. Richards has now disclosed his struggles to keep Ronaldo silent during their encounters.
As he dribbled past the fullback, Ronaldo would turn around and nod at him instead of speaking. While Richards would be left “swearing to himself”, the former City star was still in amazement of his opponent.
“We’ve always maintained that Messi is superior. The manner in which he traverses the field is effortless.
But when I played against Ronaldo while he was at Manchester United, I was blown away. I couldn’t even switch off for a second. And this was in a local rivalry,” Richards said in an episode of The Rest Is Football.
I was immature at the time, but as we walked up the tunnel at Old Trafford, I looked to my left and thought, ‘Oh my god, it’s Ronaldo. I am impressed by the man. Initially, he played on both the right and left wings.He would approach me and perform five step-overs in less than two seconds.
I could not comprehend what I was witnessing. He was so brilliant. I purchased all five of them. I was tangled and contorted before you realized it. He never spoke, but would constantly glance at me.
“He would dribble past me, he used to adore a Cruyff chop, then go inside and simply smirk at me. I was cursing at myself, but holy cow, what a stud! And then to see him move on to Real Madrid. Phenomenal.”
In December 2006, when City traveled to Old Trafford for the first Manchester Derby of that season, Richards faced Ronaldo for the first time. Ronaldo assisted the first goal scored by Wayne Rooney before scoring his own with six minutes remaining.
I faced Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, and he would wink as he dribbled past me.