ESPN Brasil today features an interview with Portuguese legend Pauleta.
The former PSG striker used to be the national team’s top scorer until some guy called Cristiano Ronaldo showed up to break his record.
Pauleta spoke about his early days with the Manchester United star, claiming no one imagined that that young winger would become such a big player.
“We all have to be honest: if anyone says they thought Ronaldo would do everything he’s done so far, he’s lying, he’s a liar,” Pauleta told ESPN Brasil.
“But we knew he was an ace, a different player and with above-average quality for his age. A player with enormous ambition, willpower and confidence, that was there”
“When an 18-year-old boy plays for a national team alongside Deco, Figo, Rui Costa, Pauleta, he needs to have a different talent. Achieving what he achieved was thanks to his work, because in fact he’s a phenomenon.”
Pauleta, who scored 47 international goals, also talked about Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances of being the top scorer in the Premier League, despite ESPN mentioning the competition with the likes of Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku.
“He’ll score as many or more goals as they will. He’s a scorer. He’s always had the goal with him, he’s a killer. At the beginning of his career, he was a winger because he was very fast, went up with speed and he still scored goals. At 36, he lost some of his speed, which is normal, some dribbling ability, which is normal, but his scoring ability is still there.”
“While he’s playing, he’ll score goals. He could be top scorer in the Premier League, despite being a competitive league I think he can do it because of a strong mentality. It’s harder but we know he has a lot of goals and United are growing as a team.”
In the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo currently has three goals in two appearances for Manchester United this season, and only needs one more to reach those at the top of the list.
The Red Devils now prepare to face Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday, and following a rest at Wednesday’s clash against West Ham United, the Portuguese star should once again start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
