Ashley Cole reveals how he had Cristiano Ronaldo ‘in his pocket’

Ashley Cole revealed how he tried to get inside Cristiano Ronaldo’s head by telling him he had him ‘in his pocket’.

Cole had many memorable battles with Ronaldo during his career that spread across the Premier League, European championship, World Cup, and the Champions League.

The former Arsenal and Chelsea star was regarded as the world’s best left-back at his peak. Even Ronaldo held respect and named him as the toughest defender he has ever faced throughout his own career in 2018.

Now Cole has recalled one particular match between Manchester United and Chelsea in 2006, where he ‘came out on top’ against Ronaldo and told him he had him in his pocket.

The time Ashley Cole had Cristiano Ronaldo in his pocket… 😉@TheRealAC3 tells us his side of the story! Go to the Chelsea app to watch the full video. 📲

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 28, 2019

“I was so focused on that game,” Cole told Chelsea TV. “Even in the changing room, I just felt different going into this game.

“My focus and concentration — mentally I was on it. I came to show him the line a lot because I kind of fancied my chances up against him with my pace.

“And a little bit of mentality actually, I think I got in his head a few times. He always wanted that extra trick.

“I gave him a strong tackle, maybe it was a foul or not, I don’t know. And I felt at that time he didn’t want it no more.

“He’s kind of put his hand up and said, ‘I wanna go off.’ So I think it was a good time to say I had him in my pocket.

“But I had so much respect for him, it was always a tough battle against not just Manchester United, but against him. And to see what he’s gone on to do is testament to how good he actually was.

“This is just one of my good moments against him and I would probably say I came out on top on this occasion.”

The game itself ended in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, with Louis Saha scoring the opener for United before Ricardo Carvalho equalized for Chelsea.