Antonio Conte gives verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Tottenham Hotspur taking on Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo made his presence felt last season as he scored a hat-trick against Manchester United in the Premier League.
The Red Devils beat Spurs 3-2 on March 12 in what was then an important game in the top-four race. Ronaldo was at his lethal best then at Old Trafford and Conte obviously doesn’t want to see a repeat of that.
Speaking at his pre-match conference before the match between the two sides at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, the Italian manager said (h/t Manchester Evening News):
“Last season, he scored a hat-trick against us and fingers crossed [it won’t happen again]. We are talking about an amazing player, a top player.”
“We are talking about a player that has continued to make the difference for the team that he is playing for. Cristiano, with [Lionel] Messi, they have made the story of football in the last ten, 15 years.”
Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked 20th in the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards. Son Heung-min (11) finished ahead of the Portugal international in the rankings.
But Ronaldo can never be counted out. He has that scoring instinct, which was on full display in his team’s 2-1 win against Everton when he netted his 700th goal in club football.
It remains to be seen if manager Erik ten Hag starts the former Real Madrid striker in the first place. Ronaldo featured in the starting XI in the Red Devils’ 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
This was, however, just his second league start of the season and mostly because Anthony Martial wasn’t fit. Ronaldo, nevertheless, will be a threat whenever he is on the pitch – especially aerially.
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Eric Dier and Cristian Romero will have to be at their best. Our best chance to get something in Manchester tomorrow is, of course, if we keep a clean sheet.
