4 football wonderkids who have grown up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo

Garnacho-Ronaldo

Some of football’s biggest and brightest wonderkids from around the world have made no secret of their idolisation of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The debate will never truly die for as long as there’s breath in the lungs of the Pessi/Penaldo online crowd, no matter what honours Ronaldo and Lionel Messi win. And we secretly love that.

While many these days default to idolizing the Argentine, there is still a group of the next generation’s budding superstars who openly idolise the Portuguese forward. Here are four of them.

Endrick

When he’s not watching tapes of his *real* idol Sir Bobby Charlton, Endrick is in the corner of Ronaldo, which is unsurprising given his move to Real Madrid and the Portuguese’s legacy with the club.

Charlton gags aside, the Brazilian teenager has made no secret of his admiration for Ronaldo. He told Abola in late 2023: “Cristiano Ronaldo is my biggest idol.

“He’s more than an athlete, he’s an example to follow for everyone. No matter the moment, he wants titles, records, he is very humble. If you want to go far, follow him. I’ve always wanted to play at Real Madrid.”

Rasmus Hojlund

Manchester United’s number nine, Hojlund was essentially the Ronaldo replacement at the club when he signed in the summer of 2023, after Ronaldo left mid-way through Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge.

The Dane is a serious throwback centre forward. He’s brilliant on both feet and only has the opposition goal on his mind, be it testing the goalkeeper or bringing someone else into play. He thrives when poaching, though, which makes sense considering his feelings on Ronaldo, who made an artform of it.

Upon signing for the United, he told club media that Ronaldo was his ‘idol’ growing up and added: “I always thought he was the best football player in the world and I just tried to learn from him.”

“He is the greatest goalscorer ever, probably as well. I’ve always looked at him back in the day where he was more of a dribbler and now he’s a proper, proper goalscorer.

“You know he had proper talent, but he worked hard to be the best ever and I like that about him.”

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Alejandro Garnacho

A Madrid-born Argentina international, Garnacho has tried his best to sit on the fence where possible, sometimes hinting that Messi his is GOAT, but also making no secret of his admiration for Ronaldo.

There are obvious parallels to be drawn between a young Ronaldo and Garnacho on the pitch with him flying on the flank, but the 20-year-old has also emulated Ronaldo in various celebrations at both youth and senior level. He even dons the long sleeves and the frosted tips like Ronaldo once did.

After playing alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner against Sheriff Tiraspol in 2022, he wrote on Instagram ‘I don’t know if it’s real or I’m dreaming’. He’s also been spotted wearing CR7 boxers while playing for United and is regularly teased for his love of Ronaldo when away with Argentina, according to Leandro Paredes.

George Ilenikhena

The very definition of a wonderkid, 18-year-old Ilenikhena burst onto the scene at Amiens and was very quickly snapped up by Belgian side Royal Antwerp, spending one season at the club before catching the eye of Monaco this summer.

He scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League back in September, marking his status as one to watch. Ilenikhena channelled his idol in doing so, with Ronaldo no stranger to a goal against La Blaugrana in his peak.

The Nigeria-born forward told a Belgian newspaper in January 2024: “Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer of all time. He inspires others and is also a good person off the field.

“I watch his videos all the time. So, it should come as no surprise that Manchester United are my favourite club, right? Cristiano played there, didn’t he?”

A lad full of talent and ambition, it seems as though he’s already mapped out his dream career.