Former Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney reckons Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams – a Chelsea and Arsenal target – reminds him of a young Cristiano Ronaldo. Williams is currently with Spain at Euro 2024, helping his team reach the final.
The 21-year-old winger is coming off an impressive club season with Bilbao, contributing eight goals and 19 assists in 37 games across competitions. That includes three goals and five assists in six outings in their victorious Copa del Rey campaign, with the other goal contributions coming in 31 games in La Liga.
Williams has continued that form at Euro 2024, with one goal and one assist – both coming in the 4-1 Round-of-16 win over Georgia – in five games propelling La Roja to the final.
Ahead of the big match with England in Berlin on Sunday (July 14), Rooney has warned the Three Lions about Williams’ threat (as per Metro):
“Williams, for me, is exceptional. He reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo when Cristiano was young. He’s a big lad. He’ll take the ball and sometimes tries too much but usually makes the right decisions.
“He is an incredible threat in one-on-one situations and scores goals as well. England need to be really careful with him.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s Portugal crashed out of Euro 2024 with a quarter-final shootout defeat (5-3) to France following a goalless 120 minutes.
How Cristiano Ronaldo has fared against Chelsea?
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has a poor record against Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, boasting nearly 900 goals for club and country. However, the 39-year-old experienced an uncharacteristic goalless campaign at Euro 2024, failing to score in five matches despite converting in two shootouts.
Throughout his illustrious career spanning over two decades, Ronaldo has consistently found the back of the net. Yet, he has only managed to score twice in 17 appearances against Chelsea across various competitions.
One of these goals came during his sole UEFA Champions League match against the Blues, the memorable 2008 final in Moscow. Despite missing in the shootout, Manchester United emerged victorious on penalties. His other goal against Chelsea occurred in one of his 12 Premier League encounters with the team while playing for United.
