Bukayo Saka heaps praise on childhood "role model" Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese superstar has returned to the headlines with his controversial departure from Man Utd.

Bukayo Saka has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo was his favourite player growing up.

Ronaldo terminated his Manchester United contract to leave the club for the second time earlier this week.

The 37-year-old’s explosive remarks about the club’s hierarchy and Erik ten Hag proved to be the last straw in his already-deteriorating relationship with the Red Devils.

Arsenal have emerged as a possible destination for Ronaldo, who is available as a free agent. The former Real Madrid star could become teammates with Saka, who admires him as a childhood hero.

“Growing up, my favourite player was Cristiano Ronaldo,” Saka told the official website of England’s national team.

“Everyone used to do the same stance as him and the same celebrations, of course, it’s difficult to model yourself on him because he’s one of the best to ever play football and with his stature and the way he can score headers.

“He can do a lot of stuff that is obviously difficult for others to do, but he was definitely my role model growing up.

“As for Arsenal, I used to love the older generation of players like Thierry Henry. I loved Thierry.

“And because I was at Arsenal, I used to be able to go to games, and at that time, I loved Alexis Sanchez. He was one of my favourite players.”