Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Young Boys vs Manchester United in the Champions League group stage, Tuesday (14/9).
Ronaldo will make his debut with Man Utd in the Champions League this season. The inaugural match in the Champions League only took place a few days after performing brilliantly in the Premier League.
Ronaldo scored twice as Man Utd beat Newcastle United 4-1 at Old Trafford last weekend. The two goals are proof that Ronaldo’s sharpness has not faded even though he is now 36.
Solskjaer also directed praise to Ronaldo. Reporting from the Daily Mail, the Norwegian coach assesses Ronaldo is a legend.
“It’s great to see Ronaldo back home. The impact was seen on the first day we played, with two very important goals for us,” said Solskjaer.
“You know his quality, Cristiano’s experience is incredible. It’s a big thing for us. He’s a legend here and it’s great to have him back,” he continued.
Ronaldo’s sharpness will be tested again against Young Boys at the Wankdorf Stadium. Just like the match against Newcastle, Ronaldo is expected to be Man Utd’s mainstay as the spearhead.
Ronaldo has played in 176 games in the Champions League throughout his career. The match against Young Boys will see Ronaldo match the record of former team-mate Iker Casillas who played in 177 matches in Europe’s most elite club tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo in ambition to chase Lionel Messi’s goal record in Young Boys vs Manchester United in the Champions League
Ahead of Young Boys vs Man Utd, Ronaldo is still four goals behind Messi in the goalscoring record in the Champions League group stage.
Quoted from the official UEFA website, currently the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star has scored 71 goals in the group stage, while CR7 has 67 goals.
Ronaldo’s opportunity to add goals to the score while chasing Messi’s goal in the Champions League group stage is open against Young Boys later.
Moreover, the Portugal national team captain also has a good record against Swiss clubs. In his career, Ronaldo has met three times with Swiss clubs, two games with FC Zurich and another with Young Boys.
Two meetings with FC Zurich occurred in the 2009/2010 season when Real Madrid costumed. In those two games, Ronaldo swept to victory by scoring two goals, all of which occurred in the first meeting of the group stage, September 2009.
Another match with representatives from Switzerland occurred in the 2018/2019 season when CR7 strengthened Juventus. However, Ronaldo’s fate is not like in Madrid.
Against Young Boys in 2018/2019, Ronaldo and Juventus lost 1-2. At that time this Funchal-born player only provided one assist for Paulo Dybala’s goal.
Ronaldo himself needs to work hard to surpass Messi in goals in the Champions League group stage. Because the new Man United star has experienced a decline in goals in the Champions League during the last three seasons with Juventus.
In the last three seasons Ronaldo’s total goals in the Champions League have only been 14, with the number of goals in the group stage being 7 goals.
