Matthijs de Ligt is a physically strong central defender. At Ajax's academy, he played both in defence and midfield, but most of the players he looked up to were forwards. After spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old defender has now joined Manchester United, having played for four leading European clubs in his career. He has also played alongside many outstanding forwards. Matthijs de Ligt revealed on Manchester United's "Idols" programme that Cristiano Ronaldo was his very first idol, with Erik Eriksen and Harry Kane also serving as role models for him.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Matthijs de Ligt's admiration for Portugal's greatest goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, began in his youth when he watched Cristiano Ronaldo win the Premier League and Champions League in the 2007/08 season with Manchester United.

"I was around seven or eight years old when Manchester United won the Champions League," said the central defender. "At that time, Cristiano Ronaldo was undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.

Everyone wanted to emulate his style of play.

So he was one of my first idols."

Eventually they played together, though the dream was fulfilled not at Manchester United but at Italian giants Juventus.

Their first partnership came in August 2019 when Juventus beat Napoli 3–2. After that, they played together in 67 matches. Matthijs de Ligt even provided an assist for his idol in a Serie A match against Bologna, helping Cristiano Ronaldo score.

Erik Eriksen

Former Manchester United midfielder Erik Eriksen, like Matthijs de Ligt, came through Ajax's renowned academy, and their career paths share similar trajectories.

The age gap meant they didn't play together in Ajax's first team: Erik Eriksen left the club three years before Matthijs de Ligt made his senior debut. Yet Matthijs de Ligt has always regarded the Danish midfielder as a benchmark in his career.

"I also played in midfield during my academy years, and Erik Eriksen played in the same position," said Matthijs de Ligt, who wears the number 4 shirt. "So he was a role model I greatly admired.

When he emerged, everyone called him a rare talent for the club for years to come, and I naturally studied his style of play.

You see yourself in him, and it's truly emotional to watch him reach the heights he's at today."

Matthijs de Ligt's career has come full circle: they finally reunited at Manchester United, playing together in 23 matches in the 2024/25 season.

"I never expected to play with him later," Matthijs de Ligt continued. "The same applies to Cristiano Ronaldo. Erik Eriksen was one of my most important idols growing up."

Harry Kane

It's difficult to immediately associate England captain Harry Kane with Matthijs de Ligt, whether in their career paths or their on-pitch playing styles.

But they spent one season together at Bayern Munich, Kane's first season in the Bundesliga, and that brief year together left a lasting impression on the Dutch defender.

Speaking about the captain of the Three Lions, Harry Kane, Matthijs de Ligt said: "He left a very deep impression on me.

His work ethic in training, individual ability, and consistently reliable goal-scoring efficiency are impeccable.

Whenever Harry Kane shoots, he understands exactly what he's doing, precisely controlling his shooting angle—whether with his left foot, right foot, or his head, he does it masterfully. And that's not to mention his world-class organisational and creative abilities, which are equally remarkable.

He's almost the perfect complete centre-forward. I'd never seen such a complete forward before."

Переведено ИИ.

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