Could the next Cristiano Ronaldo turned £31m Manchester United flop Memphis Depay still emulate the Real Madrid man? Possibly so, according to the three-time Ballon d’Or winner himself.
Despite a horrendous start to life in England, which has seen the Dutchman lose his place in the Red Devils’ starting eleven, Cristiano believes that the former PSV Eindhoven ace is one of the five best young players out there.
In one of many interviews done by the Portugal captain ahead of the release of the eagerly-awaited Ronaldo – The Movie, due on November 9, he discussed a few names who he believes will dominate world football in a few years time.
Of the five, the most high-profile and in-form player is Barcelona superstar Neymar, the top scorer of this season’s Liga BBVA with 9 goals.
The 23-year-old Selecao captain endured a disappointing debut season, but in his second full campaign in Spain, guided the Blaugrana to the treble, as they swept up La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Despite disappointing for Man United so far, Ronaldo believes Depay is one of the best young players...
alongside Barca superstar Neymar, who leads this season's Liga BBVA goalscoring chart
Another player who Cristiano rates highly is Eden Hazard. The Chelsea star was influential in their English Premier League success last season, but has been terrible all season this time around for the Blues. Nonetheless, he is linked with a world-record Los Blancos transfer.
Others to be named by Ronaldo were Paul Pogba, the 22-year-old midfielder who helped Juventus to triumphs in the Serie A and Coppa Italia, whilst finishing second in the Champions League, and Martin Odegaard, who at 16 earned a £2.3m Bernabeu switch.
Martin Odegaard is a 16-year-old highly-rated Norwegian youngster who joined Los Blancos for £2.3m
“You see many players with potential, I will mention Odegaard of Madrid for example, at 16 he's still young but you can see he's a very good player,” said the Merengues all-time top scorer.
“Hazard for example, the No7 of Manchester Depay is a good player too, Pogba and maybe Neymar.”
Cristiano Ronaldo speakng to BT Sport in an interview
