Japhet Tanganga has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo was his idol growing up and he can’t wait to come up against him when Tottenham meet Manchester United.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner made a dramatic return to the Premier League over the summer when it appeared it would be a battle between both United and Manchester City over the forward’s signature.
But there was only ever going to be one winner in the race for Ronaldo, who penned a two-year deal with the Red Devils at a reported transfer fee of £12.8 million.
Tanganga, 22, has come up against the Portugal star once before when Spurs played Juventus in a pre-season friendly in July 2019.
The Spurs academy graduate said he is looking forward to potentially having to face the 36-year-old again this season, and has since revealed he looked up to the United man while starting out as a football fan.
Tanganga said on Stadium Astro: “To be fair, when I was first watching football, it was Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo was my idol.
“I have played against him before when we went on a pre-season tour against Juventus. Seeing him in the tunnel was surreal. I will never get over it. If I ever see him again when he plays for United, I am a big fan of him.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“It would be an amazing thing to see him again.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Ronaldo has been a massive inspiration for so many young players across the world, regardless of what position they are in, because of his many achievements on the big stage. It’s an opportunity that he should cherish forever if he gains a spot in the Spurs team to face United later on this season.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
