Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold says that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players he’s ever seen. But as he prepares himself for this weekend’s Champions League final, the Liverpool youngster insists he’s undaunted by the Real Madrid superstar.
Ronaldo has scored 50 goals for club and country this season. According to Uefa.com, he goes into Saturday’s showpiece match having netted nine in his last ten matches.
But after a superb season for Liverpool – capped with a place in England’s World Cup squad – 19-year-old right-back Alexander-Arnold says he’s ready to take on Ronaldo and his Real team-mates.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Quoted by the Spanish publication Marca, Alexander-Arnold said: “It will be my biggest challenge. He’s one of the best players I have seen, has done incredible things, and on Saturday we will try to prevent him from doing what he does best.
“But... Ronaldo also has weaknesses, like everyone else. I don’t know what those weaknesses are because I haven’t studied them yet, but in the next few days I will watch many videos of him to see how we can cope better.
“Real Madrid don’t only depend on one player either, they have many other threats and are a spectacular team. Any player who comes off of the bench is world class, so it will be very hard for us.”
‘I have a biological age of 23’
Alexander-Arnold may believe that Ronaldo has weaknesses, but the Real danger man has told Liverpool that he’s in peak condition ahead of Saturday’s final in Kiev.
The Portuguese star had been an injury doubt in the run-up to the final, but he proved his fitness by scoring in Real’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal last weekend.
“Right now I have a biological age of 23,” he said. “I’ve still got a long time left, I can keep playing until I’m 41. I’m feeling good, happy, I can’t complain. We are playing another final on Saturday and the fans are behind Cristiano.”
