De Ligt: "I always wanted to be Ronaldo"
The much sought-after Ajax star added fuel to the Juventus speculation by speaking about his admiration for the Turin club’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
While Matthijs de Ligt enjoys his vacation in the Bahamas, the rumour mill continues to turn regarding his future.
First Barcelona were prime favourites to land the sought Ajax captain; then it was PSG. But now Juventus are reportedly in pole position to land him.
And speaking to Dutch outlet, Voetbal International, De Ligt added fuel to the Juventus speculation by speaking about his admiration for the Turin club’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, while also reflecting on how his life has changed over the past few years.
"Sometimes I realise that everything has gone very fast," explained De Ligt, who has become one of the hottest properties in football after an impressive season in which he led Ajax to the Champions League semi-final – becoming the youngest-ever captain to participate in the competition’s last four.
Playing against Ronaldo, really special for De Ligt
“During the season, at the club, and during the various competitions, you really do not have time to reflect. But there are times when I realise that this is not normal,” he said.
“Like recently, when I dined with my football friends from the past. Adidas organised that dinner. There were also childhood friends and we started reminiscing. We remembered how I always wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo when we played football in the garden.
“That was especially during his time when he played for Manchester United. I also had his football shirt. That dinner was right after the games with Juventus, in which I had to play against with Ronaldo himself, something that is really special."
De Ligt faced his hero again in the UEFA Nations League Final between Holland and Portugal in June, after which he revealed that Ronaldo asked him if he would join Juventus, in the post-match interview. Although, the Dutch defender went no further defender, giving no clues as to where his destination will be next season.
And as it stands the 19-year-old star has a big decision to make regarding his future: take the huge salary offer posed to him by PSG or accept a smaller pay packet to move to Turin to play with his hero. The final decision will be his but everything indicates his choice will be the latter.