BUKAYO Saka has risked upsetting Arsenal fans by revealing his footballing "idol" is Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Gunners homegrown star, 22, said that as a child he looked up to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid legend.
Speaking with the Men in Blazers podcast via the Daily Mail, Saka even said he has more respect for the 39-year-old Portuguese legend now that he is a player himself.
He admitted: ''Personally I can't (imagine playing for as long as Ronaldo), and that's why I have so much respect for him.
''Obviously, when I was younger, he was my idol.
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"But now that I'm playing football professionally, I have even more respect for him, how he's managed to stay this disciplined and this focused and achieve everything.''
Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, a Champions League, two League Cups and an FA Cup with Manchester United.
He then secured a then world-record £80million move to Real Madrid in 2009 when Saka was just eight years old.
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After leaving United to play for Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo made a fairy-tale comeback to the Premier League which saw him go up against Saka in 2021/22.
The forward's return to United only lasted just over a year because of a fallout with manager Erik Ten Hag which saw him move to Al Nassr in January 2023.
He is now the top scorer in the Saudi league as he chases another title.
Saka is aiming to lead Arsenal to their first Premier League since 2004 as they battle Liverpool and Manchester City in a three-way title race.
He recently overtook the Al Nassr star for goals and assists after the same number of matches at his age.
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After Arsenal's 6-0 thumping of Sheffield United on Monday night, the Gunners closed the gap on league leaders Liverpool to two points and trail defending champions City by just one.
